Bringing Light Into the Darkness
by Keren Olivero
Summary: Marik continues to follow the path of darkness. His sister Ishizu along with Odion/Rishid's female companion has sought out to save him. Can they do so before the darkness consumes him? Odion/Rishid x OC pairing going on, and a bit of Marik x OC later, too. Please, no flames.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: My first solo YGO fan fiction ever. Yu-gi-oh! and its characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi, not me. However, the characters Keren Olivero and Victoria Lennox do belong to me, so do me a favor and don't steal them. This takes place during the Battle City saga, and will not follow the saga very well in all places. There will be twists of events here and there, so don't hassle me about events not happening the way they did in the anime'. Will be using dub names, but there will be a mixture of North American dub and original influences (scenes, background stories, quotes), taking what I like best from each. Some dialogue from the show will be used here and there. Rated T for mild language and violence. Feel free to give helpful advice, but rude, hateful comments are not welcome. _

Chapter 1

* * *

One day in Egypt, Marik was in his secret hideout with his Rare Hunters, making evil plans. He had made up his mind that he would _not_ protect the tomb of the Pharaoh anymore. It was a task that he had resented and feared ever since he knew it would be his mission. Eventually, he sought for a way to escape that destiny and he finally found one.

"What plan shall we aid you with today, Master Marik?" asked a man dressed in a robe, and hieroglyphics tattooed on the left side of his face. This was Odion, Marik's best rare hunter and older adopted brother.

"I know the perfect way to dispose of Yugi Mutou," replied the corn silk haired young man, grinning evilly.

"And which way is that, Master?" another rare hunter asked.

"I will seize the three Egyptian God cards and use them to devastate that foolish Pharaoh's vessel. With the combined strength of these cards and my other rare cards, Little Yugi wouldn't stand a chance against me!"

"Excellent idea, Master Marik."

"Of course it is a good idea, you imbecile." It never ceased to amaze Marik that his servants could be so dense sometimes and liked to state the obvious so much. "And then, I will snatch that puzzle. After all, he would have no more use for it after he's dead."

Odion knew that Marik still thought it was the Pharaoh's fault that his father was dead, and that was the reason he felt that the Pharaoh didn't deserve his powers. It pained him to see his master so different, and he wanted so much for him to know the truth about what happened, but was somewhat afraid to tell him. He didn't think Marik would believe him and besides, Marik's mind wasn't very stable."Would you like one of us to get them for you?" he asked.

"Don't bother. It's time for the other tomb keepers to put themselves to better use," replied Marik, smirking.

"All right. Let us know how we can serve you."

"Oh trust me. I will." Marik left the hideout and made his way to the room where the Egyptian God cards were locked away. And he would not hesitate to use his millennium rod on the tombkeepers if he had to.

* * *

While all this was going on, Ishizu and Odion's female companion, Keren, were in the bedroom, underground. They were discussing the latest events regarding Marik. Both of them were troubled.

"I suspect that Marik and his rare hunters are up to no good at this very minute," said Ishizu. She couldn't help but notice how the rare hunters liked to steal all the rare cards from all of the other duelists. There was no telling which card they would get their hands on. But something was telling her that she had better go and check to see if the Egyptian God cards were still in their hidden location, because she had a bad feeling that her brother planned to get his hands on those, too. That was her greatest fear since their powers were quite perilous when abused or placed in the wrong hands.

Keren was in total agreement. This was a living nightmare for her. It was so stressful for her that her dark hair was thinning out. Not exactly ideal for a 22 year old. "I am especially scared for Odion…he doesn't seem quite like the same person I always loved. I remember when I first met all of you like it was just yesterday, even though it was six years ago."

_Flashback_

_Young Keren had just finished bidding her father farewell at a private funeral service, and finally felt some closure. She felt like she had cried all of her tears. There was still a hole in her heart that could never be filled. She had told her mother that she needed some time to herself, and decided to take a walk. _

_She was so lost in her thoughts that she had bumped into a young boy with shoulder length cornsilk hair and violet coloured eyes. This boy couldn't be any more than ten years old. And with him was a girl with long black hair and bluish green eyes. Marik and his sister Ishizu. They looked as if they were in a hurry. Keren was so embarrassed about being in such a daze. Not like her at all. _

'_That was real smooth for a sixteen year old,' she thought sarcastically. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," she said sheepishly._

"_It's quite all right," said the black haired girl. _

_Keren felt more at ease._

"_Hey sis. Who is she?" asked the blonde boy. _

_Before Ishizu could answer, Keren introduced herself. "My name is Keren. Keren Olivero."_

"_My name is Marik, and this is my sister, Ishizu."_

"_It is a pleasure to meet you." She had to admit, they seemed very nice. For the moment, she forgot about her problems._

"_We also have an older brother, well, actually, adopted brother. His name is Odion," Marik told the older girl. "Would you like to meet him?"_

_Keren was pleasantly surprised. "Yes. I would like that very much," she answered. It wasn't like she had anything better to do, anyway. "Where is he?"_

"_He's at home. Come. I will show you where we live."_

_So Keren followed Marik and Ishizu, not really sure what to expect. _

_End Flashback_

It was a day she would never forget. However, the experience wasn't all sunshine and roses. She also had to meet Mr. Ishtar, and he wasn't nearly as friendly. In fact, he was very furious. He was very gruff with her. His anger was very terrifying. And what Marik had done that day was even more frightening. It reminded her to never get on his bad side. But all that aside, she was glad she met Odion, and gradually, he became an important part of her life. She understood that he vowed to always protect Marik, but she feared that he was going to such an extreme length to do so.

Ishizu gave her an understanding look. "I know that Odion is trying his best to protect my little brother. However, in case anything should happen to him, something must be done to bring out Marik's good side. Otherwise, the evil within him will grow stronger."

"Of course." Judging from the moment when Keren first met the Ishtars, Marik certainly did have potential for good. Now she was walking on eggshells, pretty much. "So, what are you going to do?"

"First things first, we must retrieve at least one of the Egyptian God cards. I will give it to Seto Kaiba. I will be going to Domino City, Japan in a few days to show off the Egyptian exhibition."

The older woman thought that was a good idea, though she wasn't sure of giving it to Seto Kaiba. From what she heard of him, he was very power hungry. But on the other hand, it could help. Not to mention that she always wanted to go to Japan. "Wonderful idea, Ishizu. Let's do it."

"Thank you for your support." They left the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Marik had found Slifer the Sky Dragon, and was now in the room where the Winged Dragon of Ra was. He used his millennium rod on one of his servants—a man with a turban cloth around his head, just in case he were to refuse. "Open the lid, and unlock the safe, my servant," he commanded.

The man did as he was told. Sure enough, there was the Winged Dragon of Ra card. He grabbed it and smiled an evil smile. "Excellent," he said. "Just one more card and I'll be unstoppable. He left that room and was on his way to get the third card, only for his way to be blocked by none other than his sister, Ishizu. Keren was with her, too.

"Don't take another step," Ishizu ordered.

Marik was slightly annoyed, slightly amused. "Ishizu."

"Brother. My millennium necklace warned me that you would betray me and it appears that you have. Don't you realize that your destiny is with serving the Pharaoh?"

"Why should I protect him? He is not worthy of being the Pharaoh. He is a despicable murderer, so fate has chosen me to take what should have been mine from the beginning, sister."

Keren was very upset by what she was hearing. Not only because it was malicious, but because it was completely false. She didn't personally meet the Pharaoh, but from what she heard of him, she couldn't believe that he would kill someone from a family that was very loyal to him. Boy, did she miss his gentle, kind soul. She nearly started crying, but she caught herself. He would see it as a sign of weakness.

Ishizu wanted so badly to tell Marik the truth about what happened that fateful day. But she didn't think it was the appropriate time yet. "If you want to carry out this madness, then you will have to FIND the last card."

Marik realized that he was too late. It angered him that someone would DARE to oppose him, even if it was a family member doing it. He held out his rod warningly. "I'm warning you. Do not interfere with my plans."

Ishizu was very surprised, and terrified, too. His evil side had grown even more. She couldn't believe he would think of hurting her. "You'd use your millennium rod on your own flesh and blood, Marik?" she asked incredulously.

Keren almost ran away from there. Marik was not acting any better than what he accused the pharaoh of doing. It was painful to see him being so ruthless.

"If you continue to stand in my way, then yes, I will have to." He emitted a blast from the rod. Keren knew she was in trouble, for she didn't have a millennium item.

Ishizu shielded her face and looked away. The rod had no effect on her, for her millennium necklace shielded her. "The pharaoh's power isn't yours," she protested. She looked in front of her and saw that Marik was no longer there. She wondered where he could have gone. She was relieved, though, because for a moment, she was scared out of her wits. Now she knew what she would do. But she couldn't do it alone.

"Let us go, Keren. There is work to be done."

Still a bit shaken, the dark haired woman went with Ishizu to help her make plans.

* * *

(In Domino City)

Tèa and Yugi were walking home from school together. It had been a very busy day for them, with a pop quiz in Algebra. Also there was a new transfer student who had just moved to Japan from Scotland. Unlike the other new students who transferred in the past, she was very outgoing, even though it was her first day. It didn't take her long to open up to Yugi, Tèa, Bakura and Joey.

"So do you think you did well on the quiz?" Tèa asked Yugi.

"As well as I could have done, considering that we knew nothing of it," answered Yugi. "It was a good thing that I took a quick glance at our notes, otherwise I probably would not have understood anything. "

"Yeah, I know what you mean." In a way she preferred tagging along with Yugi when he had to duel in tournaments. She thought school was a drag at times. "What do you think of Victoria, the new girl?"

"She seems like a nice, friendly person."

"She sure does. Hey, if we hang out on Sunday, I was thinking, maybe we should ask her to come along with us."

"Good idea, Tèa. It would be great to get to know her better."

The two teenagers were about half-way to Yugi's house when they saw a man dressed in a robe, sitting behind a table. He was waving his hands around a crystal ball. Something about him seemed sinister.

"Hey, Tèa, it appears to be a fortune teller."

The brunette girl rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you want your fortune told. We're both a little too old for that. "

Before Yugi could answer, the man dressed in the cape interrupted them.

"Step right up if you want me to predict your future."

Yugi recalled his conversation with the spirit of his puzzle that morning, about how he was unsure of whom he was and what his future held. He had no interest in having his future told before, but now he thought it might not be such a bad idea. He really wanted to help the spirit of the puzzle.

The robed man looked up. "What are you waiting for, young man? Step up if you need me to tell your future."

"Don't do it. Something about him gives me the creeps," Tèa whispered to Yugi. She had every right to be suspicious. There was more to that man that met the eye. He was controlled by an evil force.

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence. I must do this," Yugi whispered back. He hesitantly walked up to the man sitting at the table.

'_Excellent. The fool is walking into my trap! Soon he will be nowhere but oblivion and his powers will be all mine,' _thought Marik.

"To predict your future, I will need your most valuable possession," the robed man continued.

"Huh? And what might that be?" He sure hoped that it wouldn't be his puzzle. Not after what happened with Pegasus. The last thing he needed was someone else who wanted to get their greedy hands on it. This was why he had decided to let his puzzle hang from a thicker chain.

"That necklace would do nicely," the man said, smirking. As hard as Marik was trying to sound friendly, it was becoming quite difficult. He couldn't wait until his mindslave showed his true colors.

Darn it. Just what Yugi was afraid of.

"Be careful, Yugi. It could be a trap," Tèa warned.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot." He just couldn't take a risk.

Marik was furious about the fact that his plan looked like it wasn't going to work. But he kept his cool. "If you do not give it to me, I cannot predict your future."

Finally Yugi relented…but only because he wanted to help the spirit. "All right...but just for a little while." He handed the robed figure his puzzle, not knowing that he was falling into a trap.

'_Perfect. My plan is working. This fool is so gullible, it's pathetic,' _thought Marik.

The man dressed in a cape proceeded to wave his hands around the small crystal ball. He changed his tone of voice into a sinister, electronic sounding one. "Ah yes. It's coming to me. I see now that your millennium item belongs to ME!" He grabbed the puzzle and ran away with it, knocking the table over.

Now Yugi was really horrified. Mentally he kicked himself for falling for this scheme. "My millennium puzzle!"

The man laughed and continued to run.

"Get back here!" He proceeded to chase after the man. There was no way in hell he would allow him to get away with this, whoever he was. He turned back briefly to face Tèa. "You go on to the game shop. I'll deal with this." He continued running.

"Yugi, wait!" she called after him. It always drove her crazy when Yugi discouraged her from helping him in a potentially dangerous situation when it wasn't something he could handle alone. Well, she would help him, whether he liked it or not. She ran down the street, but didn't see him or the faux fortune teller anymore.

However, she bumped into Bakura and…Victoria. What was she up to?

"Hi Tèa," Bakura greeted.

"What's wrong, lassie? Why are you so frantic?" asked the Scottish girl.

"No time for chit chat you two. But if you want to come with me, I will fill you in on the way."

Yugi was still trying to track down the thief. He followed the arrows that the thief left. It seemed strange to him that he would do something as generous as that, but he knew it could only mean one thing—that the thief must want him to follow. Chances were that he would be falling into a trap, but he was willing to take that risk. He followed the arrows to a rundown warehouse, and entered, sensing the spirit of his puzzle inside. He heard diabolical laughter, and some lights came on, showing that the millennium puzzled was fastened to the wall, as well as a dueling arena. "If you want your puzzle, you will have to duel me for it!"

"Show yourself!" Yugi ordered. He wondered what this man could possibly want with his puzzle. And he didn't see why he had to duel for it if it was already his.

The robed man revealed himself, and laughed again. "Are you going to accept my challenge? Or are you too afraid?" he taunted.

"Never! I'm not afraid of you, whoever you are. But I will not duel you for something that is already mine!" He was obviously angry at being blackmailed this way.

"If you don't, I will smash your puzzle into smithereens, and the spirit of the pharaoh will be no more!"

Yugi was horrified now. He knew that if the puzzle was destroyed, it would be the end of the spirit inside. There was no telling if this man would follow through on his threats or not. He couldn't let his friend be killed.

"All right. You have yourself a duel," Yugi conceded.

"I knew you would see things my way. Very wise choice. " He and Yugi took their places at the dueling arena.

The spiky haired boy didn't think he would be able to fight this duel alone, under circumstances like these. He thought that even though he was not wearing the millennium puzzle, maybe he could still connect with the puzzle inside. He tried connecting, but the bond was very weak.

"I cannot help you, because the bond is too weak and I can feel someone watching me. You will have to fight this duel alone," said the spirit.

"But I don't think I can duel without you when the stakes are so high," Yugi protested.

"You can. Just believe in yourself and in the heart of the cards." With that, the spirit faded away.

Yugi vowed to save the spirit, and he ascended the dueling platform.

"Prepare to lose everything, Little Yugi! This duel will be your last!"

"We'll see about that!"

"We will indeed. "


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

The duel began, and Yugi decided that he would go first. He drew a card, which meant the total amount of cards he was holding would be six. "I summon Celtic Guardian in attack mode!" An elf dressed in green and brown appeared on the field, grunting. "That ends my turn."

The man couldn't believe that this boy was the one who defeated Pegasus. Yugi's monster was so weak. It would be easily devastated by his powerful machine monsters. Only the first move and he was not impressed. He expected a real challenge. Or maybe Yugi was holding back. "Is that all you're capable of? How pathetic. It appears that defeating you would be a piece of cake. I'll play a monster in defense mode. That ends my turn. Try to attack if you dare." He smirked, thinking of how Yugi's monster would be finished.

Yugi frowned. Why would his opponent be on the defensive on the opening move? Was he trying to lure him into attacking? Either way, he had to get rid of it. That way he would gain the advantage on his next turn. "Celtic Guardian, attack his face down monster!"

The mystery duelist smirked. Yugi had played right into his hands, just like he planned. The card was revealed to be Cyber Jar, and it destroyed Yugi's Celtic Guardian. Yugi looked on in shock.

"I see this move has taken you by surprise. This card destroys every monster on the field. Both of us are also required to draw five new cards and summon every monster that is level 4 or lower," explained the mystery duelist.

Yugi drew five new cards, and decided to stay on the defensive this turn, just to be safe. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but this man's voice sounded familiar. He wasn't sure why. _'Oh, well. It isn't important right now,' _he thought.

"On the defensive now, are you? Well, not to worry, your destruction will come swiftly so that you won't have to suffer. I summon Bugroth and Mechanical Chaser!"

Now Yugi knew he saw this guy before. Not only because of the voice, but also because he saw those type of monsters once before. There was only one duelist he knew of that had machine monsters. That was Bandit Keith Howard, Intercontinental Dueling Champion, whom he hadn't seen since Duelist Kingdom. "Show yourself, Bandit Keith!" Yugi commanded.

The mystery duelist did so, and it was indeed Bandit Keith. _'Something's fishy here. Why would Keith disguise himself, steal my puzzle and threaten to destroy the spirit inside? There's got to be something to this.´_ It just didn't make sense to Yugi. He knew that Bandit Keith was a cheater, but he never thought that he had a sadistic side to him. "Snap out of it! This isn't who you are!"

The mystery duelist revealed as Bandit Keith gave an evil laugh. "I am not Bandit Keith! He no longer exists! He is my mindslave now!"

Yugi didn't like the sound of that at all. But at least it confirmed that there was indeed something going on. "Then who are you? And who put you up to this?!"

"No one did. It is a decision I've made on my own terms. It is part of my plan to eliminate you and that worthless pharaoh. I happen to think Bandit Keith would be one of the perfect servants to do my bidding," answered another man's voice, this one unfamiliar, and even more diabolical. He explained that when Keith was ejected from Duelist Kingdom and was struggling to swim to shore, his rare hunters and he had fished him out of the sea and added him to his army of rare hunters. "This pathetic fool may have been defeated in Duelist Kingdom, but thanks to my powers he is unstoppable. And as for who I am, that will be revealed in due time. For now, let's just say that I am someone who will take your counterpart's fate as my own after I dispose of him. I possess knowledge of the ancient scriptures than you will ever know."

Yugi was appalled by how dangerous this man seemed. The whole debacle with Pegasus was nothing compared to this. There was no telling what he would do next. He wondered what millennium item this individual was using to control Keith's mind. If only he had the spirit's help. Oh well. He would have to see what he could do alone, against this formidable an opponent. This madman was _not_ going to get away with his plan.

The real Bandit Keith weakly called for help. "Take this nut job down!" he begged. It appeared that he was trying to break free from the mind control. "You're too weak to defeat the power of my millennium rod, fool!" the unidentified male yelled at him. He strengthened the hold he had on Keith, using the millennium rod.

Keith glanced up, laughing evilly. "I summon Machine King in attack mode! This monster gains 100 attack points for every machine monster on the field. Machine King, destroy this fool's face down monster." The robot-like being shot his fist at the defense monster, and it was destroyed. Flames ensued afterwards.

_I really need to figure out a strategy…and fast, too,' _Yugi thought to himself. He drew another card, but it wasn't one that was powerful enough to defeat the Machine King. He played Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode. That was the best he could do.

"How sad. I summon Megasonic Eye. Since it is a machine monster, my Machine King's attack power is raised another hundred points." That meant Machine King now had an attack strength of 2600. "Machine King, incinerate his defense monster!" Giant Soldier of Stone was destroyed, and once again, Yugi had no monsters on the field.

'_This looks bad. I really need to turn this duel around.' _Yugi felt he could really use his friends' support right about now. And he really wished he had the spirit's help. But for now, he would just have to trust his deck.

* * *

Joey and Tristan had caught up with Tèa, Bakura and Victoria and they were trying to locate Yugi, with the help of the arrows and Bakura's millennium ring. Tèa had filled them in on what happened. Joey, of course, was very angry about this, and so was Tristan. No one messed with their friends and family and got away with it.

"Oh, I sure hope everything is all right and that we won't be too late," said Tèa worriedly.

"Well when I find whoever did this, they're gonna be sorry!" declared Joey, pumping his fist and shaking it.

"I'm with you," Tristan agreed.

Victoria was a bit bewildered by what Tèa had told her about this situation, given that she only dueled for fun when she was living in Scotland. But from what she gathered, Yugi was tough. "Oh I'm sure he'll make it. It'll take more than this to break someone like him."

"Yes, that's true." Tèa felt slightly less panicked. _`Don't worry, Yugi. We'll be right there with you soon.'_

Bakura's millennium ring proceeded to tug him even harder. It was hard for Tèa and the others to keep up and it was totally unexpected. Victoria nearly blew her knee out.

"Hey laddie, control that ring of yours a bit, will ya?" yelled the brunette.

"It does this on its own. I can't help it." Bakura sometimes wished he didn't have the millennium ring. There were times it made him do evil things against his will and he would have no memory of it.

(at the warehouse)

Yugi was contemplating what strategy he should use. He had two machine monsters to contend with. He knew there were monsters that were powerful enough to defeat them, but he needed the right cards. _'Heart of the cards, guide me!'_

Mind controlled Keith was becoming impatient. "What are you waiting for?! Make your final pathetic move so that I can dispose of you and the spirit of that foolish pharaoh." The man who was controlling Keith, Marik, was shown sitting on a throne-like chair and wearing a robe just like Keith was…though he was invisible to Yugi.

Yugi drew a card, and saw that it was Curse of Dragon. He happened to be holding Polymerization and Gaia the Fierce Knight, too. _'Perfect. I can summon Gaia the Dragon Champion.' _ He thought about how it would be strong enough to defeat Mechanical Chaser. Finally, a chance to make a comeback.

"I play Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Fierce Knight in attack mode! I'll also use Polymerization to fuse these monsters together in order to form Gaia the Dragon Champion! Gaia, attack his Mechanical Chaser now!" The dragon warrior slashed the machine monster with his lance, destroying it. Bandit Keith lost 750 points, leaving him at 1250 lifepoints, as well as weakening Machine King.

"Hmm. Impressive. I was worried that you had lost your touch since defeating Pegasus. However, your luck is about to run out." Marik/Keith drew a card, switched his weaker monsters into defense mode, and then played Machine Conversion Factory to give all of his monsters 300 attack and defense points. "Machine King, rid the field of his dragon knight combo!" Yugi lost 200 lifepoints from that attack. "Do you surrender yet? You'll make things so much easier for yourself if you do."

"Never!" Yugi was more determined than before. He started the comeback, and intended to keep it going. "My turn now." He drew a card, which was revealed to be Summoned Skull. He also happened to be holding Makiu the Magical Mist. By using those cards together, it would help him out in a big way. "First, I play my magic card, Makiu the Magical Mist and then I call Summoned Skull to the field in attack mode!"

Marik/Keith looked on in dismay as he saw his machine monsters rusting and Yugi's Skull receiving a power boost as a result of the magic card. This kid was really doing his homework, it seemed. But it was no matter. He knew how he would counter that move. He just needed to draw the card that would enable him to.

"Summoned Skull, destroy Machine King with Lightning Strike!" The lightning flashed towards the machine monster, electrocuting it. Keith lost 400 more lifepoints.

"You've done very well, considering that you're dueling on your own. But it ends now. I play Graceful Charity, which allows me to draw 3 cards as long as I discard 2." Keith decided not to obey the rules, but to cheat, like he always did. Instead, he pulled out 3 cards from his sleeve. Whether he was controlled or not, it was part of his plan to make sure he had the right card at the right time. "I play the magic card, Zera Ritual! This allows me to sacrifice 2 monsters in order to summon Zera the Mant!" A hideous turquoise coloured creature appeared on the field, roaring.

'_Oh no,' _thought Yugi. He knew that his monster didn't stand a chance against Zera, as Summoned Skull's attack points were back to its original 2500, and Zera was stronger by 300 points. He had to do something or else he would lose.

"Zera the Mant, destroy Summoned Skull!" Yugi lost 300 more life points thanks to that attack.

(outside the warehouse)

Bakura and the others stopped in front of the rundown warehouse. The arrows on the white haired boy's ring were tugging hard.

"This place gives me the creeps," Joey stated.

"Me too," said Tèa.

Bakura's dark side had taken over by then, and he sensed a presence in there. _'Yugi better not have lost that duel. I'm the one who deserves the puzzle.'_ He opted to sound as friendly as his hikari. "I think Yugi is in here."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go already," said Victoria. She too had a bad feeling about this place, but it wasn't enough to scare her away. She walked in with Tèa and company. They saw Yugi dueling a man in a cape, and the millennium puzzle hanging on the wall.

(back inside)

"Hang in there, Yugi! We're here for you!" Tea called out.

"Come on, Yuge! You can beat this caped clown!" Joey cheered. Then he studied the man from head to toe. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he couldn't help but feel that he'd seen him before. Perhaps it was nothing.

'_Yes,'_ thought Yami Bakura. _'I'm the one who will defeat you and take what's rightfully mine.'_

Such familiar voices. Could it be that Yugi's friends were really there? Or was it just wishful thinking because he needed them at the moment? Just to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating, he looked back. Sure enough, his friends were standing there. He was very happy to see them. He could really use their support right now. He was at a loss for what to do, and was beginning to despair.

Marik/Keith was slightly irritated by the interruption, but thought it would be very fitting for an audience to witness Yugi's destruction. "What a very touching reunion. However, I am afraid that it'll have to be cut short. Make your final pathetic move."

"Here goes." Yugi drew a card, and was very disappointed. Much to his dismay, he had drawn Koumori Dragon, which only had 1500 attack points. Nowhere near as strong as Keith's Zera. The best he could do is defend. So that was the move he made. Maybe it would be enough to buy him some time to figure a way out of this dire situation.

'_There's no way this foolish boy can defeat me with such a feeble deck,' _thought Marik. _'He should have surrendered when he had the chance.' _

"I summon Seiyaryu in attack mode! I'll also set one card faced down, as well as play this magic card, Stop Defense."

"Oh no!" Because Koumori Dragon's attack strength was so low, that meant that Yugi would lose a large amount of lifepoints when it attacked.

"Zera, attack Koumori Dragon!" Marik/Keith ordered. The creature did so, destroying Yugi's dragon. Yugi was down to his final 400 life points.

"Things sure don't look good for Yugi," observed Tristan. "He's gotta do something or he's toast."

"Oh, I'm sure he can do it. After all, he defeated the creator of Duel Monsters at his own game," Victoria reminded him. _'Come on, Yugi. Keep fighting.'_

"You said it." Joey agreed with her. "It'll take more than that to beat my pal, you robed freak!" Now he knew where he saw the man before. He sounded like Bandit Keith, whom he defeated at Duelist Kingdom. Something about him seemed different. He had an electronic sounding voice. He always harbored a strong dislike toward the Intercontinental Dueling Champion, but something was definitely not right here. His desire for Yugi to defeat him grew stronger.

Marik smirked at this. He thought Yugi's friends were delusional. _'If these fools only knew what I have in store for little Yugi.'_

Marik/Keith was tired of the hold up. "All right, enough playing around. Time for you to make your final move so that I can move on to the next phase of my plan."

"With pleasure." The tricolor haired teen drew a card, which was Mystical Elf. Much too weak to defeat either Seiyaryu or Zera. He set it in defensive mode.

"Desperate move. Perhaps if you had the spirit of the puzzle helping you, your chances of defeating me would have been greater. Well, don't worry. I will put you out of your misery. Seiyaryu, destroy that feeble elf!" Yugi's last defense was destroyed, and Marik/Keith set two more cards faced down. He also switched Zera into defense mode. "Your demise is drawing nearer with every passing second. I would use this last turn wisely if I were you."

'_This looks bad,' _thought Yugi. _'I've got to make this next turn count.' _ He drew a card, and was pleased to see that it was his favorite card, Dark Magician. "I'll lay one card faced down, and play Dark Magician in defense mode! I'll end my turn by concealing him with Magical Hats."

His friends were confident that he was on his way to victory.

"That's the way, Yuge!"

"Finish this creep off!"

"Good try, little Yugi. However it wasn't good enough!" Marik/Keith taunted.

Yugi gasped in horror. He was afraid to ask what his opponent meant by that.

"I'll discard one card, and then I play my trap card, Magic Jammer, and I'll use it to destroy those silly hats!"

Yugi looks on in horror as the protection for his Dark Magician was destroyed. "Oh no! My Magical Hats!"

"But wait, there's more. I'll also reveal my magic card, Curse of Fiend! This card allows me to switch the mode of the monsters!" Zera and Dark Magician were switched into attack mode as a result. "Zera, attack Dark Magician!"

Yugi smiled a tiny smile. "Not so fast! I reveal my trap card, Mirror Force! Now your attack is reflected at your own monster!"

Marik/Keith smirked. "Not quite!"

"What?"

"I play my trap card, Solemn Judgment! At a cost of half of my lifepoints, I can negate your trap!"

Yugi watched as his Dark Magician was destroyed, dropping him down to 100 lifepoints.

'_I know I can still win this...but it won't be easy.' _ thought Yugi. He drew a card. It was one that would come in handy very soon. He set 2 cards faced down, and ended his turn.

"You have just made your final move." Keith pulled another card from his sleeve. "I play Tribute to the Doomed, which allows me to destroy any monster on the field, as long as I discard a card from my hand." He discarded a card that he didn't think was worth using.

"That's the rarest magic card there is!" said Yugi.

"That's right. Say goodbye to your last defense!"

"Nice try!"

"What the-?" The robed man wasn't expecting this at all.

"I reveal my trap card, Living Arrow!"

"No!"

"That's right! The arrow will take your magic card and send it right back at Zera!" The arrow flew at Zera like a dart and pierced it.

"Well, I still have my Seiyaryu. Go my dragon; destroy that defense monster at once!"

"You forgot my other faced down card! Reveal Spell Binding Circle! Now your monster is snared in the trap and is 700 attack points weaker!" That made Seiyaryu's attack strength 1800 attack points.

"It is my turn now. It's time for me to win this duel!" Yugi drew a card. Monster Reborn.' _Awesome. I can use this to revive Dark Magician, which will win me the duel.' _"I play my magic card, Monster Reborn!"

Marik/Keith was stunned. What could Yugi be planning to revive? He didn't have to wait for long.

"I'll use it to revive my Dark Magician!"

"No! This can't be! I was so close to destroying you!"

"I'm afraid it's over! Dark Magician, destroy his Seiyaryu with Dark Magic attack!" The magician emitted dark energy from his staff at the dragon, destroying it. Marik/Keith's lifepoints dropped to zero. Yugi got his deck and walked off of the dueling platform.

"You did it!" Tèa cheered.

"Who's the man?!" chimed Tristan.

"Yuge is!" answered Joey. He gave Yugi a high five.

"I knew you would beat him," said Victoria.

Yami Bakura was glad for Yugi's victory, too, because it meant that he would have a chance to challenge him for the puzzle.

Marik was furious! He had planned this scheme so carefully, only to be robbed by some kid. He was so sure he would win since Yugi was not as good as his Yami. He fared better than he thought.

Again, Keith managed to break free of Marik's mind control. He proceeded to scream. "Ah, get out of my head! Show yourself, whoever you are!"

"Your feeble brain is no match for my powers, you fool!" Marik taunted him. "Resistance is futile!"

Keith leapt off the dueling platform, and ran out of the warehouse, holding his head and screaming.

Joey looked like he thought Keith lost his mind. "What was that all about?"

Yugi told them all about what the person controlling Keith's mind had said.

"Wow. Sounds like a real Grade A nut case," said Joey, when Yugi was done telling his story.

Tèa would usually think so, too, but this time she wasn't going to take it lightly. That guy could strike again on some other occasion, for all she knew.

Victoria looked at the puzzle that was hanging on the wall. She marveled at the sight of it. She hoped that she wouldn't be having any nightmares after what she saw.

"Let's get out of here," said Tristan.

"I have to get my puzzle first," Yugi reminded him.

"Yeah. But how?" He looked at how the puzzle was attached to the wall. Retrieving it would be difficult. Whoever possessed Keith to do it surely didn't want Yugi to have it anymore, that's for sure. He proceeded to pull on the puzzle, but to no avail. The fact that Yugi put it on such a thick chain didn't help. Joey rolled his eyes at Tristan's attempt.

"Let a real man do the job!"

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try," the pointy haired teen retorted.

"Oh I will. Stand back and watch the master in action!"

'_This should be interesting,' thought _Tristan. His best friend's ditziness and tough guy act never ceased to amaze him.

Joey tried pulling on the puzzle as well, but he wasn't successful, either. It didn't surprise Tristan.

"What was that you were saying?"

"Zip it!"

Victoria noticed a long piece of pipe lying on the ground. She thought maybe it would be of some use.

"Hey, if you two laddies would stop your bickering for a second, I've found something that can help," the chocolate coloured haired teen told Joey and Tristan.

The two boys looked at her. "Huh? And what might that be?"

Victoria picked up the piece of pipe. "This."

Joey took it from her. "Hey, maybe this _can _help. Thanks Vicki. You're a genius."

Victoria blushed at the compliment. "I wouldn't say that, but if you say so."

'_Let's see, how to do this,' _Joey wondered to himself. All of a sudden, Tristan yanked the pipe out of his hands. Joey was surprised, as well as discombobulated. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

"I think it'll be best if I freed the puzzle. You don't know what you're doing."

"And you do genius?"

"More so than you!"

They both started bickering and fighting over the pipe. Yugi opted to stay out of it. Tèa shook her head in disgust. This was one of the times she felt embarrassed to be around them. "At least I now have a female friend to spend time with," she muttered under her breath.

This kept up until Victoria yelled at them to knock it off. "You two are giving me a headache!" She rubbed her forehead.

"Sorry," they said in unison.

"Why not do it together? Many hands make light work, remember?"

"Of course." Joey looked at the eye bolt and got an idea. There was a hole in it. Maybe that would be the ticket to prying the puzzle out. He took the pipe back from Tristan. "I got an idea, but I can't do it without you," he said.

This was news to Tristan. It was rare when he respected any idea Joey had. "Oh? And what's that?"

"It's this." He explained how he would put the pipe through the hole in the eye bolt, and pull the puzzle out that way.

Tristan wasn't sure if that would work or not, but he couldn't think of a better idea. "Ok, we have nothing to lose. Let's do it."

Joey put the pipe through the hole in the eye bolt, and pulled. Tristan helped by bracing him as he pulled. He was actually getting it to budge. He pulled and pulled, and after about fifteen minutes, he got it free. He handed it to Yugi.

"Thank you so much, you guys," said Yugi, hanging the puzzle around his neck. "You're the best."

Joey was out of breath from all the work it took. "It was nothing."

"Okay, let's get out of here. I can't stand to be in this dump for one minute longer," said Tèa dramatically.

"You said it!" The group of friends exited the warehouse together. Yugi thought this was close. He was glad that his puzzle was back where it belonged, and that he managed to save the spirit as well. He vowed to never let any suspicious person get their hands on it again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Finally, everything was set in place and Ishizu was ready to make her journey to Japan. Keren had decided not to go then, but follow later when Marik and Odion decided to go. She was sure that they would be going to Domino City sooner or later. Although Odion had changed somewhat since becoming a rare hunter, she knew how nice a person he really was, and she cared about him with her whole being. Also, she wanted to stay to make sure he didn't do anything that made him go completely against his principles. And she secretly couldn't stay away from him for too long.

Keren was at the airport, seeing Ishizu off. Ishizu had already checked in and was waiting to board a private jet. Keren sat in one of the chairs in the terminal. They had a little while to wait…roughly forty-five minutes.

Keren buried her nose in a romance novel to help pass the time. It was her secret guilty pleasure…secret to everyone except Ishizu. She was about twenty five percent finished with the book when she heard a lady's voice making an announcement. It drowned out all the noise that was being made by some children.

"Flight 2029 to Domino City, Japan boarding at Gate 7!" the lady loudly announced.

Keren put aside her book and looked at Ishizu. "Ishizu, that is you," she told the raven haired young woman.

"Yes, I know." Ishizu looked into Keren's hazel eyes. "Take care of yourself. And be careful when dealing with Marik and his rare hunters". The rare hunters seemed to be quite dangerous and she didn't want anything happening to her.

"Don't worry. I will. And good luck with the tournament. I hope everything goes well." She still didn't think Seto Kaiba was the best person to give Obelisk, but she did concede that it was better than letting Marik have it.

"Thank you. I really should be boarding now. "Ishizu arose from her seat. "Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye. So much love to you."

"Likewise." The younger woman gave a brief salute, and made her way to the gate. The Israeli watched her leave. She would miss her so, but she knew that she would be making her own journey to Domino City soon. For now, she would have to do her best to keep busy.

Victoria was lying in her bed, reading. She contemplated the events that occurred the day before, at the warehouse. It was nothing like she'd witness before. That electronic sounding voice by Yugi's opponent sent chills down her spine. She had seen scarier things in movies before, but that was all. If anyone told her that this stuff existed in real life, she would have just viewed it as superstition. There were times she teased her gothic best friend back in Scotland for being superstitious. Now it was coming back to haunt her. She was surprised that she didn't have nightmares.

All of a sudden, the telephone in her room rang. She wondered who it could be. She was hoping it would be Tèa or Yugi; she had given her phone number to them when they were walking home together the day before.

_Ring ring. _

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," the teen muttered under her breath. She marked the page in her novel and raced to the telephone. She snatched it up. "Hello, Victoria speaking," she said perkily.

"Hey there, Vicki," replied a female's voice on the other end.

Victoria recognized it. "Hi there, Tèa. What's up?"

"Making a shopping list. You?"

"Oh, very little. Was reading a book before you called. I've finished my housework." And now she felt like doing something, as staying in the apartment all day would be boring. But she didn't know where any place was, so it wasn't like she could go shopping or anything. Unless….

"I see. Will you be busy for the rest of the day?"

"No. Why?"

"I am going to meet up with Yugi and we thought maybe you would like to come with us. You know, maybe we could show you around the city since you're new here."

Victoria's grey-blue eyes brightened. It was as if Tèa had read her mind. How could she have guessed what she wanted to do? "Oh, I would love to! Sounds super." She just hoped that her osteoarthritis did not flare up. That would spoil everything.

"Great. We'll pick you up in fifteen minutes."

"All right. See you then." They hung up. Victoria was mostly ready. She gave her thigh length chocolate coloured hair a quick brushing, put on her favorite beret and slipped on her ballet slippers. She took her book, got her purse and keys and went to the living room to wait. She sat on her couch and started reading some more.

She was nearly halfway through the book when she heard a knock on her door. She placed a bookmark between the pages she was reading, grabbed her purse and keys, and went to see who was knocking. Sure enough, it was Tèa and Yugi. She opened the door and greeted them.

"Hiya, Vicki," they answered. Tèa studied her from head to toe. She was amazed at how different Victoria looked in street clothing. And the fact that she was wearing her hair loose that day, instead of in a French braid. If it were not for the hair color, she would not have recognized her at all.

Victoria was confused. She was wondering why Tèa was looking at her like that. Was there maple syrup on her kilt? Did she have something stuck in her teeth?

"Tèa? Is something wrong?"

Tèa caught herself. "No, nothing at all. I just barely recognized you, that's all," she replied sheepishly.

"I look that different?"

"Never mind." 

"You ready to go?" asked Yugi.

"That I am." The brunette stepped outside, locked the door and left with Tèa and Yugi.

After a very long flight, Ishizu finally arrived in Japan. During the flight, she went over her plan to save her little brother. According to her necklace, he would be coming to Domino City soon, to carry out his evil scheme. If her necklace was correct, Kaiba would cooperate and host a tournament, even if his motives were less than unselfish, so whenever Marik decided to wreak havoc, she would be ready. The plane landed, and the Domino Museum officials welcomed her to Domino City.

"Thank you very much. I appreciate your generosity."

"It is an honor to host your exhibition. Not to worry, the thieves that you've mentioned will not lay a hand on your artifacts. Our security is extremely tight."

"Excellent." She had sent her artifacts to Domino the day before. She didn't want these officials to know that she already knew that there wouldn't be any problems. When the plane came to a complete stop, she got off.

At that moment, a limo pulled up to take her to the museum. She would be holding a press conference. She thanked the officials again and got in the car.

Meanwhile, Tèa, Victoria and Yugi were at Mr. Mutou's game shop. Yugi wanted his grandfather to meet the new friend he told him about. They had just come back from sightseeing and Victoria was in no rush to go home. She liked the store; she decided that she would come there to shop if she wanted new trading cards. And the elderly man sitting behind the desk looked friendly. She felt right at ease instantly. The television was on in the background in the other room, but she didn't pay much attention to it.

"Grandpa, this is my new friend, Victoria, or Vicki for short," Yugi told Mr. Mutou.

Mr. Mutou squinted at the new person with his grandson and Tèa. "So you're the nice young lady my grandson told me about. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, too, Mr. Mutou." She took one of Mr. Mutou's hands and shook it.

The girl's hands felt so soft. "If you care to watch television, you're welcome to. My grandson can show you where it is."

"All right. Thank you." The young lady decided that she just might take him up on his offer. She turned to Tèa and Yugi. "Let's see if there is anything worth watching, you guys," she suggested.

"Okay!" Yugi and Tèa led their new friend to the living room, and sat on the couch. The television was on the news channel. Ishizu's press conference was being aired. It was about her exhibition, and about her items.

Fascinated, Victoria listened for a bit. Whoever this woman was, she was very intelligent.

"I would like to take this moment to invite all of the best duelists in Domino to my exhibition, to view my artifacts and to hear about the origin of Duel Monsters," said the woman on television.

Victoria thought that sounded interesting. So did Tèa and Yugi. The spirit of the puzzle appeared next to Yugi and noticed the necklace that the woman was wearing. She might know something about his past. He had thoughts about visiting the museum at some point.

As usual, Seto Kaiba was very busy at his company. He was working on some new technology. His younger brother Mokuba was watching the press conference. He heard Ishizu's invitation and thought of his big brother. "Hey Seto. You're the best duelist in the world. Would you be interested in checking this out?"

"No thanks, Mokuba. I don't have time for that garbage. I have a company to run," replied the ruthless young businessman coolly.

"Oh ok." There were times Mokuba had doubts about his brother's work habits. He very seldom relaxed and was at the rate where he could possibly give himself a heart attack. Mokuba wanted him to relax, but wasn't sure how to tell him.

Just then, the telephone rang. Kaiba gave an exasperated sigh. He was busy. Who could possibly be calling, and what could he/ she want? He hoped it was not to torment him. He snatched up the phone. "What is it?" he asked gruffly.

"Hello, Kaiba. This is Ishizu Ishtar speaking. Stop what you are doing and look at the television screen. "

Kaiba looked up from his computer screen and at the TV. There was a woman with jet black hair, green-blue eyes and was wearing Egyptian jewelry, making the press conference that his little brother mentioned.

"How did you know that I had the television on?" he asked.

Ishizu didn't feel like getting into that right then, so all she said was "Let's just say that I have a sixth sense about it."

'_Well, that's just great. Another self-proclaimed psychic_,' thought Kaiba. "Listen, lady, if there is something you wanted to ask me, make it quick." He was slightly annoyed at being interrupted.

"I would like to personally invite you to my exhibition. I promise you that it'll be worth your while. I have something to give you that I know will make you very content."

He seriously doubted that, but if this woman said so, then it would be interesting to see what it was. "All right. " With that, he hung up. He told his secretary to hold all his calls and then called for his limo service. "Let's go, Mokuba. We shouldn't be gone too long." At least he hoped not. He had work to do. He didn't have time to be out all evening.

"Okay, big brother." They left the mansion together.

The chauffeur pulled up at the museum about ten minutes later. Kaiba told Mokuba to stay in the limo and the chauffeur to keep an eye on him. "This won't take too long." He entered the museum, and there stood Ishizu Ishtar, the woman who gave the press conference, waiting for him.

"Welcome, Kaiba. I knew you'd come. You are the only guest here tonight."

"The less people here, the better for me. Now let's get this over with. I do not plan to stay here all night."

"As you wish." The woman was unfazed by Kaiba's glacial exterior. She led him to a room that had a sign hanging on the door that read _KEEP OUT._ It was probably a private one. It contained some stone tablets and all of her other precious artifacts. "Do you believe in destiny, Kaiba?"

Geez, what did that question have to do with anything? He was tired of Ishizu beating around the bush. "Why does it matter?"

Ishizu smiled at the question. "Well, what I reveal to you tonight is going to change your life forever."

Kaiba's patience was wearing thin. "I don't have time for this. If you don't get to the point, I'm leaving."

"All in good time, Kaiba." His lack of patience was appalling. "Well, first of all, the Duel Monsters were once real monsters and were played between pharaohs and other magicians three thousand years ago. But the magic became so dangerous because it erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the world. A pharaoh was forced to lock the magic away. "

Kaiba thought it was the most ridiculous thing he ever heard. Those things didn't exist. "Egyptian History 101 is of no interest to me, so if that is your topic of discussion, I cannot help you. Now I would get to the point if I were you." 

"I'm getting to it," the young woman reassured him.

He entered the room, and the lights came on. He saw a couple of stone tablets. One stone tablet had carvings of some familiar duel monsters on it. It couldn't be! "Maybe there is some truth to your story."

Ishizu was pleased to see that Kaiba was learning. "Come this way, and I will reveal the other reason I called you here tonight." He followed her, wondering what she wanted him to know this time.

"Take a look at this stone tablet over here. It has a carving of the pharaoh on the right," said the Egyptian.

The former Duel Monsters champion looked at the carving, and was shocked at how much it resembled his greatest rival, Yugi. "That's the pharaoh?" he asked in disbelief. "But…that's Yugi. And the monster above him is the Dark Magician."

Ishizu nodded, to show he was correct. "On the left is the sorcerer fighting against the pharaoh. That's you, Kaiba. If you have any doubts, look at the carving of his monster. It's the Blue Eyes White Dragon. So your rivalry had existed since then and will continue to exist. "

But Kaiba was beginning to waver on whether it was credible enough. As far as he was concerned, it couldn't be explained and he played by his own rules. "This has got to be fake."

"If you don't believe my words, then perhaps actually witnessing the battle first hand will convince you. My millennium necklace has the power to show events of the past." Ishizu placed her hands by her neck, invoking the power of her necklace. Under normal circumstances, Kaiba would have thought this trick was as cheap as what Pegasus did to him and his brother, but he was too terrified for that. Boy, did this woman scare him. The power of the necklace sent him to a different time and place, yet it did look familiar to him.

"This can't be! I remember!"

_Flashback_

_There was a young man with a colorful cap on his head, semi-naked. He looked just like modern day Seto Kaiba. _

"_I declare a challenge to the pharaoh! By the rights of tradition, duel me if you are not a coward!" the man who resembled Kaiba ordered. _

"_Magic powers heed my cry, release the monsters trapped inside, magic powers heed my cry, release the monsters trapped inside, magic powers heed my cry, release the monsters trapped inside!" some men in robes chanted. _

_Pharaoh's henchmen were enraged that the sorcerer betrayed him. Well, he would pay dearly for that. "As the pharaoh's loyal servant, I will stand against you, traitor!" one of the pharaoh's servants declared. "I banish you all to the Shadow Realm!"_

_The sorcerer wasn't impressed. Maybe the pharaoh was a coward if he chose to hide behind his minions. It would make his victory simple. "Very well! Prepare to lose everything!" He called forth one of his most trusted creatures, La Jinn. A green genie appeared. _

_The henchman called forth two of his most powerful dragons._

"_Ha! Your dragons will fall before my genie!" gloated the sorcerer._

_There the sorcerer went again, underestimating his opponent. That would be his undoing. The henchman kept his cool. "Your genie might be strong, but did you think I would not come prepared? They're no match for the combined fury of my dragons!"_

_The robed men chanted, "Let two be one, let two be one, let two be one!" This was a spell that would fuse the dragons together. _

"_Unite my dragons, you will be unstoppable!" The new weapon was more than enough to vanquish La Jinn."Attack, bombard the traitor with your blazing inferno!" The dragon shot fire and with that, the genie was fried to a charred cinder. _

_The sorcerer was only slightly daunted. However, he was not about to give up. "You haven't won yet, pharaoh. Do you think your pathetic minions have what it takes to defeat me? They'll be gone before your very eyes. "_

_The pharaoh was on his throne, observing all of this. He couldn't understand why someone who once pledged loyalty to him decided to turn on him and be loyal to the Dark One instead. He hoped his minions would defeat him so that he would see the error of his ways. _

_End Flashback_

Present day Seto Kaiba was not impressed by his past self. He didn't believe he was ever capable of acting like that. "That sorcerer is a big mouthed pompous windbag! You can't compare him to me," he remarked indignantly.

Ishizu showed him on the tablet where the name of the victor of that particular Shadow Game was worn away. "Now you see Kaiba? It is not coincidence that Yugi is your greatest rival. He and you have battled in the ancient past!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. Not that stuff again. "Gimme a break, Ishizu. I battle against Yugi because he is a worthy opponent, not because of some ancient myth," he scoffed.

"Your eyes will be opened up to the truth, soon enough," vowed the raven haired Egyptian.

"Whatever." Kaiba was so distracted by the ancient legends that he nearly forgot about what Ishizu promised him. Now he remembered.

"Take a look at this tablet over here," said Ishizu, referring to one that was between the Tablet of the Pharaoh and the one that showed the origin of Duel Monsters.

'_Oh great,' _thought Kaiba, slightly exasperated. _'Not another old rock with chicken scratch on it.'_

"Do you remember I have mentioned to you that I have a gift for you that you would be pleased to have?" asked Ishizu.

"Maybe I do," answered Kaiba. "What of it?" 

Ishizu ignored the tone. From her point of view, the young man really needed to develop people skills or else he would find himself despised by a lot of people. But she let it slide. "These carvings are of powerful beasts called Egyptian Gods. Slifer the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor, and the Winged Dragon of Ra. Pegasus created cards of these creatures."

Now the business tycoon was becoming interested. But he didn't believe her since he never heard of these cards. "Oh really? If that's so, then why didn't Pegasus use them against me?"

"Because they all have powers that are very dangerous if controlled by someone that is unworthy, powers that cannot be fathomed. If angered, they have the potential to cause serious injury or destroy the entire world. He gave them to me to seal away. "

"I see." That meant that these monsters were immensely powerful. If he could have all of them in his deck, he would be unstoppable.

"However, two of them were stolen by rare hunters just yesterday."

Rats. That was careless of her. But at least one would be better than none at all. "Rare hunters?" He had never heard of them before.

Ishizu nodded. "They are a group of elite duelists who trade and sell rare cards, and would resort to dishonesty and unfair practices to ensure that they have the most powerful ones. However, if you hosted a tournament that would attract the most talented duelists in the world, it is an excellent way to lure them."

Kaiba thought that was an excellent idea and the most intelligent thing she said all night. He thought he would have ended up falling asleep from boredom. "I see! It's a trap! You want them to surrender the Egyptian God cards after they suffer defeat."

He was only showing how greedy he was, but it did sound like he was willing to aide her with the tournament. "Here is the card I've managed to retrieve." She reached into her purse and handed a card to Kaiba. It was Obelisk the Tormentor. He took it from her gleefully. But Ishizu's next words shocked him.

"You may borrow it for the tournament, but I expect it back," she told him.

Return a powerful card? Was she nuts? Not every day did he receive a rare and powerful card. She was too nice in giving it to him. He thought she should not have because she would regret it later. "What makes you think that I am trustworthy? I can walk out of here with this card and you'll never see it again."

"You will return it to me. I have foreseen it."

Not that psychic stuff again. "Sure you have," he remarked sarcastically. "Don't worry, I will host the tournament."

So Ishizu was right. "I thank you."

"Don't get your hopes up. I am not doing it because of your mind tricks or folktales. I want to return to the glory I once knew and have the most powerful deck in the world. Now if you will excuse me." He coolly exited the museum, where his personal chauffeur was waiting outside.

Odion had just finished making plans with Marik and the other rare hunters and was now spending time with Keren. She appreciated it very much, since he didn't get to spend as much time with her anymore. Also, she was missing Ishizu already. But she knew that she would be with her soon.

"What do you and Marik plan to do next?" she asked him.

"You will find that out soon enough."

The dark haired young woman knew that it was his way of saying that it was none of her concern, so she didn't push it further. "Please tell me this. Are you all going to Domino City anytime soon?"

"That we will."

"All right." She was glad about that. It meant that she wouldn't be too long without Ishizu. As much as she wasn't thrilled with being on the ship with other rare hunters who were total strangers, she could deal with it as long as she had Odion. "Ishizu left for Domino today."

"Oh did she?" That was news to him.

Keren nodded. "She had important business to take care of."

"I see." Marik had mentioned how she retrieved the Obelisk the Tormentor card before he could. He just didn't expect her to leave Egypt as soon as she did.

"I decided not to go yet. I'd miss you far too much," Keren continued.

The older man looked surprised. He knew that she thought highly of him, but he didn't realize that her devotion to him was that deep, after everything he had been doing to remain loyal to his master. He knew that it troubled her, but it was necessary in order to help conquer Marik's wicked side. What she didn't know was that he wanted Marik's inner light to shine again as much as she did. For now, all she could do is stand by him, and do whatever she could to help.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A few days later after school, all of the students were by the entryway, putting on their shoes and getting ready to leave. It was raining a bit outside, and Tèa was a bit grumpy about this. Victoria was, too, for it was the time her arthritis pain was most severe. As expected, her hips were in great pain. She and Tèa walked out the front door.

"Bah! I can't stand rainy days!" Tèa complained, opening her umbrella. She held it over her new friend so that she would be shielded from the rain as well.

"Tell me about it," agreed Victoria. It was so difficult to walk without pain. At least she could use her massaging chair when she got home. She learned that the students had clean up duty after school, and that this time Joey and Tristan were in charge of doing so. She would have helped them, but under the circumstances, it would not be wise to.

"Say, will you be busy tomorrow?" Tèa asked Victoria.

"No, I am free tomorrow. Did you want us to do something together?"

"Yeah. Yugi and I were going to do something together and we thought it would be even more fun if you came along with us."

"If I am feeling better, definitely." Victoria made a mental note to take the pain medication that gave her relief for 24 hours before she left.

"Oh, that's right." Tèa didn't want her friend to come if she wasn't feeling well enough. "Well, it'll be great if you can. There is someone I would like you to meet."

"Oh?" Victoria raised an eyebrow. She wondered who it was. Then she remembered Tèa telling her that there was a spirit that dwelled in Yugi's millennium puzzle that took over whenever Yugi dueled. She wondered if he could be the one.

"Yeah. If you're lucky, then it'll be tomorrow."

"Wonderful! I could hardly wait."

Marik was meeting with his rare hunters again. With the defeat of Bandit Keith a week prior, it seemed like defeating his greatest foes, Yugi and the pharaoh would be more difficult than he originally thought. Even so, he did not have patience for failure or obstacles that stood in his way. Odion had informed him that Ishizu went to Domino to take care of some business. Although the type of business was not specified, he had an idea of what she was up to, based on his last encounter with her.

"What is the next phase of the plan, Master Marik?" inquired Odion.

"As a result of the failure of that fool Bandit Keith, we will have to alter our strategy in order to crush Yugi Mutou and the pharaoh. Also, I want you to find out who has the third Egyptian God card." Secretly, he was glad that Yugi was the victor, since it meant that his opponent was worthy and seeing his foes struggle was so much more fun. That made it much more devastating for them when he succeeded.

"You'll be the first to know, sir."

Marik gave an evil smirk. "Excellent. And I'm warning you, control whatever feelings you have for your little friend, and make sure she doesn't conspire against me. I do not tolerate divided loyalty. "

Odion knew his master was referring to Keren. That would be simple for him to do since his feelings for her were not particularly deep. Not to mention that he was fairly reserved in nature. "Yes sir."

"Come to think of it, perhaps I can use her for information."

The older man didn't object to that, as long as Marik didn't turn her into one of his mind slaves…which he wouldn't have to. "I give you my word that she will cooperate, should you need her."

"For your sake, she'd better." He was willing to go easy on the Israel native, but if she stood in his way, he had no qualms using his rod to make her do as he said. "Now let us find more potential mind slaves and servants. We will need an entire army of rare hunters if we're to crush Little Yugi."

"Yes, Master," the rare hunters chorused. They all boarded the ship.

Meanwhile, Keren was on the surface of the Valley of the Kings, taking a walk. She felt so alone without Ishizu and with Odion being Marik's shadow most of the time, spending time with him would be out of the question. She got lucky that last time she got to see him. But she didn't want him to get in trouble with Marik because of her. And not knowing all the details of what was being planned was killing her. She had to find out...but how?

She thought about asking Marik if she could sit in on the meetings he had with his henchmen. That way, she would know exactly what was going on and then she could devise a scheme of her own that would prevent both him and Odion from doing something they would be sure to regret later. There was one small problem. Marik might decide to make her one of his pawns or mind slaves, and she really didn't want that. She wanted to stand by him, but there was only so far she was willing to go. She was at a loss…

Suddenly, a man wearing a cloak and with a turban wrapped around his head appeared before her. He was wearing donut shaped earrings and he possessed a millennium item too—the millennium key.

Keren remembered him. He had appeared after Marik's dark side killed his father to tell him that Mr. Ishtar's death was necessary for the pharaoh's return and to warn him that he was taking the path of darkness. It seemed that he always appeared when something went wrong—but nothing particularly bad happened recently…though she couldn't be positive.

"Is something wrong?" she asked Shadi.

He ignored her question, but told her, "Do not despair. You will find a way to aid Marik without going against your convictions."

His voice was so reassuring that the young woman wanted to believe him, but wasn't sure if she could. "But how?"

"Just listen to your heart and you will find that way." With that, he disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared.

"Shadi," she whispered, clasping her slender hands together. His words were so encouraging to her that she was given a new found strength. She still wasn't sure how she would save Marik from himself, but she would not rest until she found it.

The next morning, Yugi was getting ready for his outing with Tèa and Victoria. He had all sorts of clothing scattered all over the bed. He was trying to decide which outfit would be best. He was having a bit of trouble deciding. All of them were decent, but he wanted to look his best. But he knew he couldn't waste time if he didn't want to be late. So he decided to go with the black outfit.

A silhouette of the spirit of his puzzle watched this, smiling. He wished Yugi happiness and was glad that he appeared to have found it. "It seems that you have found someone special who brings you happiness, Yugi."

"It isn't me. This will be the happiest day of _your l_ife," Yugi replied, winking. He was confident that getting to know Victoria would put the spirit in a better mood because she was such a friendly person."And whatever it is that has been troubling you lately, we'll get through it together. Tèa, Vicki and I have your back always."

"Thank you, Yugi." He wasn't sure how Yugi was going to give him the day of his life, but he appreciated such a kind gesture. It was he who taught him the meaning of kindness and friendship.

Tèa and Victoria were waiting for Yugi at the station. Tèa was a nervous wreck. For some reason, she was afraid of saying the wrong thing. She wondered if it was because she had never been on a social outing with the spirit of the puzzle before. Victoria thought it was no big deal.

"Lassie, just relax. Just be yourself and everything will be fine," she said, giving Tèa an amused look. "It's not as if he's a stranger to you. I am the one who is meeting him the first time, remember?"

"Oh right." What the Scottish girl was saying was true. "Well, I'll try."

"That's the spirit." She hoped that they wouldn't have to wait very long for Yugi. She was feeling pretty good at the moment, but she didn't want to take any chances.

Approximately twenty five minutes later, Yugi showed up. '_Okay Yami, this is where you take over,'_ thought Yugi. He merged with the spirit of his puzzle, and he appeared taller, and there were blonde streaks through is red and black spiked hair. Yami wasn't expecting his hikari to pull that maneuver at all.

"Yugi, wait! This isn't a duel!" he sputtered, flailing his arms. He looked up and saw Tèa and Victoria standing about 6 feet in front of him at the station. "Hello," he greeted them.

"Hi there, Yugi." They wandered over to him. Victoria was surprised by how much taller and how much

deeper his voice was. This must be the spirit of his puzzle Tèa told her about. So far, he seemed pretty friendly.

"What shall we do first?" Victoria asked.

"Hmm…maybe the coffee shop?" Tèa suggested. She felt slightly more relaxed, but she wasn't sure what to do with Yami besides the museum later.

"Sounds good to me. I can use a nice espresso." Victoria was so addicted to those that she couldn't function at school unless she drank one with her breakfast.

Yami didn't say whether he wanted to, but he didn't object, either, so they all went to the coffee shop together.

Ishizu was at the museum, making preparations for Yami's visit later that evening. Thanks to what her millennium necklace showed her, she knew exactly how it would go. Unlike Kaiba, Yami would be more receptive to what she had to say. She hoped that he would be able to defeat her brother Marik in the tournament. She foresaw that Kaiba's plan would work and that Marik and his rare hunters would want to participate in an attempt to strip him of Obelisk the Tormentor, but her necklace did not tell her who would win the tournament.

'_Oh my pharaoh, I hope you'll be able to defeat my brother and put an end to his scheme before the darkness completely consumes him...otherwise the entire world will be plunged into everlasting darkness,' _ she thought. She knew that she would not be able to deal with the trouble that lay ahead on her own. Also, she decided to enter the tournament without Kaiba's knowledge just in case she would get to face Marik. She knew that if she did get to face him, it would be difficult to defeat him, considering that his deck is probably much more powerful than when they were young children. But she was sure that she would be able to defeat him with a flawless strategy.

Just then, the telephone in the museum's office rang. She briskly went to get it, knowing who it would be. It was Keren, calling to check up on her. She picked up the phone. "Hello, Keren."

"Hi there, Ishizu. How are you?" It was almost as if Ishizu was right there with her, even though they were miles apart.

"I am very well, thank you very much. And yourself?"

"Nothing to complain about, except for the fact that I miss you, and I am lonely without you, since Odion is almost always busy. And the occasions I am fortunate enough to spend time with him, he seems a bit distant."

"I miss you, too. But you'll be here soon enough and everything will be back to normal. So keep your chin up."

"All right. I'll try my best." _'Keep your chin up… that was basically the same message Shadi relayed during her encounter with him.' _ "So how did your visit with Seto Kaiba go?"

"About as successful as could be expected. However, Kaiba is still very much in denial about the events that occurred in the ancient past."

"Not surprising at all." Secretly, Keren was glad that Ishizu was the one showing off the artifacts and not her. Kaiba's stubbornness would have driven her crazy. But then again, it would be a picnic compared to being around Marik when he was in his bad mood.

"Not to worry, though. The day will come when he opens his eyes to the truth. And he has agreed to host the tournament, although it is for his own selfish reasons."

"Of course." She and Ishizu talked for a bit longer, then said their goodbyes and hung up. She felt even better now that she knew that things were going well.

After some time in the coffee shop, some pigeon feeding, shopping in a gaming store and seeing a movie, Tèa, Yami and Victoria went to the arcade. Victoria noticed a pile of toys and decided to see if she could win a Duel Monster plushie. There were some other children in front of her, trying to see if they could win a Blue Eyes White Dragon plushie.

Tèa and Yami saw a young man with light brown hair by the name of Johnny Steps. He was playing a dance game. He was such an expert that he won round after round. The opponent he was up against tried very hard, but was defeated in the end.

"You never stood a chance against me from the start," he taunted the person. His opponent glowered at him and left.

The veteran dancer looked into the audience for more potential opponents to humiliate next. He saw Yami and Tèa standing there. Perfect. He found the brunette to be very attractive and thought she was a potential girlfriend. Winning against her would be simple. There was no way she would be able to win against him.

"Are you feeling lucky today?" he asked Tèa. "I challenge you to a duel!"

Yami was not impressed. He could tell that this man was just being a showoff. "Just ignore him, Tèa."

But Tèa had other ideas. She had told him about how she wanted to be a dancer when she got older when she was shopping with him and Victoria. She thought this little "competition" would be good practice and give her a chance to show off her skills.

"You're on. I accept!" she said, taking off her jacket and tossing it to Yami. Surprised, Yami caught it. Tèa stepped onto the dancing platform. Johnny smirked at her. He was going to make her regret accepting his challenge.

"Are you ready to be embarrassed?" he asked in a condescending tone.

His arrogance nauseated Tèa. "You're the one who's going to be embarrassed," she retorted.

Johnny shot her another smirk. He admired the fact that she had spunk. She would make a great girlfriend. He knew the perfect stake for this battle. "If I win this, you have to spend the evening with me."

Tèa grimaced at this. "I would rather eat worms than date a jerk like you!"

"Okay, enough small talk! Let's begin!"

"That's the most sensible thing you've said so far!" Tèa was determined to win so that she wouldn't have to spend the evening with such a creep.

The battle began, and both Tèa and Johnny proceeded to dance. Neither of them held back. In fact, Tèa's skills were like nothing he'd ever seen from his past opponents before. In fact, they were so excellent that they rivaled his. At this rate, he would lose. Well, he wasn't about to let that happen. He put his foot out and tripped her. That was something she wasn't expecting. She knew that he was jerky, but she didn't know that he would resort to unfair tactics to win.

'_This jerk is cheating.' _ Though flustered for a moment, she managed to get back on track. The audience watched in amazement. They'd never seen anyone dance as well as the girl before.

Victoria had managed to win a Dark Magician plushie from the machine. She planned to give it to Yugi, knowing that it was his favorite monster. She heard the commotion in the arcade and went to see what was up. She saw a crowd gathered around a dancing platform where Tèa and Johnny Steps were dancing. She decided to watch, too. She was amazed by how talented Tèa was. She thought her friend would be a wonderful dancer.

Despite Johnny's best efforts and the fact that he tried to throw his opponent off by cheating, he lost. He couldn't believe it. No one had ever beaten him at dancing before. He wasn't willing to accept defeat, either. He collapsed onto the platform.

Tèa walked off of the platform to see Yami and Victoria waiting for her. They congratulated her on her victory.

"Thanks, you guys. I couldn't have done it without your support. Now let's get out of here." She was sure that her opponent would be a sore loser and try to challenge her again. Well, she wasn't going to stand for it.

"All right." Yami and Victoria followed her out of the arcade and the three of them went by the pier, admiring the sunset. Tèa was very proud of herself for defeating Johnny Steps.

"At first I was unsure of whether I would be a successful dancer or not, but now I have a stronger belief in myself, and I will do my best."

Yami was very proud of her. "Yes, you believe in yourself. You've also given me the strength and determination to find out who I am."

Tèa was surprised to hear that. "I did?"

"Yes. Your courage will be an inspiration to all."

Victoria was at the toy machine throughout most of the duel, so she didn't know what all happened. "Um...Tèa, who is that guy who was your opponent?"

"He's supposed to be the best dancer here in Domino…and he's very obnoxious, too." She told him about how he wanted to date her, and how he tried to keep her from winning by cheating.

"Well you know what they say, cheaters never prosper."

"No they don't."

Victoria was about to ask Tèa something else when all of a sudden, they were rudely interrupted by Johnny demanding a rematch. "If my leg hadn't cramped up, I would have won. You got lucky, but your luck will run out the second time."

Tèa gave an exasperated sigh. Didn't this guy know when to quit? He was the one who tripped her and then had the gall to call her a cheater?

Victoria gave Tèa a look that said, _'I know what you mean by obnoxious.'_

Tèa gave her a look that said, _'I know right?'_ Then she angrily turned to face Johnny. "Just buzz off and get a life!"

Yami was fed up with the dancer's antics. _"I'll _duel you, but instead, we will play Duel Monsters. And if I win, you must promise to never bother Tèa again. "

"I accept your lame challenge, porcupine head. If _I _win, Tèa has to agree to be my girlfriend."

Tèa shuddered at the thought. He was such a scumbag. If she ever had to date him, she would die...Or kill him first. Either one of the two.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

The duel between Yami and Johnny Steps did not last for very long. Johnny started out with a very weak strategy with mediocre monsters which were easily crushed by Yami's ensemble of trademark monsters. There were a few impressive moves on Johnny's part, but Johnny was so cocky that he made grave miscalculations that indicated that dueling was not his forte. Yami won the duel with one of his best combos, his dragon knight one. The renowned dancer was so furious about his second loss that he had accused Yami of cheating, and asked him his name. When Yami had said to call him Yugi, Johnny was shocked, since he was aware of Yugi's reputation, and decided to quit. However, he changed his tune when Tèa gave him an extensive lecture about being a cowardly sore loser.

After that minor setback, the group of friends made their way to the Domino Museum. Victoria was looking forward to it since she loved learning about different things from different cultures. She was also happy that there would be some clues revealed. She handed Yami the Dark Magician plushie she had been holding until it was convenient to give it to him.

"Here, Yugi. I want you to have it. It's a sign of friendship and I know how much you love the card."

Yami was pleasantly surprised, and took the doll from her. "Victoria…thank you." He felt he was a little old for that sort of stuff, but thought it was a very kind gesture on her part.

Tèa felt a slight tinge of jealousy about this. For quite some time, she had feelings that were hidden; she was rather afraid to let him know, for fear of rejection. She got over it though, since Victoria was a mutual friend and it wasn't as if she were being flirty or anything.

Soon, they arrived at the museum, and went inside. It was pretty sizable. There was the Egyptian exhibit that Ishizu was showing off. Victoria was in awe, and impressed.

"So this is the exhibit that this museum has been hosting," she stated. "It's magnificent."

Tèa thought this experience could get scary. It never ceased to amaze her how Yugi seemed quite fearless. "Yugi? Do you still want to go through with this?"

"I must, Tèa. It is part of my destiny."

"Okay. If you say so." She and Victoria followed Yami as he continued to walk through the museum. He stopped in front of a door that was leading downstairs. The eye of Horus appeared on his forehead and started glowing. He was sensing a presence, like that of another millennium item. He hoped that it wasn't from the same person who was out to destroy him. He cautiously entered the basement, with the two teen girls right behind him. It was the room that had various stone tablets. Yami proceeded to look at the stone tablets. He hadn't laid eyes on them for eons, but the carvings were very familiar to him, particularly the one titled Tablet of the Pharaoh.

Tèa and Victoria were amazed by how much the carving of a man with spiky hair in a regal attire resembled Yugi.

"Yugi, that carving of the pharaoh looks exactly like you," Victoria observed. Tèa agreed with her. "It sure does."

"You are correct, Victoria. And it appears that I am participating in an ancient battle of some sort." The pieces of the puzzle were slowly but steadily coming together for Yami. He now knew who he was, which was a start, but he still had a long way to go. He had to regain his memories of his reign, and why he was back.

Just then, a young woman with long jet-black hair and green-blue eyes entered the basement. It was the same woman who held the press conference on her Egyptian artifacts recently.

"Hello, my pharaoh. I apologize for the long delay."

"Who are you?"

"I am Ishizu. My family and I have been protecting your tomb and your memory for the past three thousand years, and now that you have returned, I will unveil the mysteries to you, using the power of my millennium necklace."

Yami might have never seen her before, but he didn't sense any evil around her or the millennium item she possessed. In fact, maybe she would be able to help him, based on her background. "Oh, really? And what is it that you have to reveal to me?"

"Three thousand years ago, evil sorcerers nearly destroyed the entire world, until a brave and powerful king locked the magic away. That king was you, Pharaoh. Now history is about to repeat itself, and you must save the world from an upcoming threat."

It was becoming clear for the three thousand year old spirit. "What must I do to rid the world of this threat?"

Ishizu found it quite refreshing that Yami was cooperating with her. "Well, my pharaoh, you must enter a Duel Monsters tournament. The individuals responsible for this great evil will be participating as well, and you must defeat them. Make sure the millennium items do not fall into the wrong hands. The power of your millennium puzzle will be your guide. "

'_Wow,' _thought Victoria. _'She is so wise, and on top of that, she seems like a nice enough person.' _Generally she would be confused as hell about things like what Ishizu revealed, but not after what she witnessed after watching Yugi duel against Bandit Keith.

Tèa, however, was another story. All this meant to her was that the worst was yet to come, and she wasn't looking forward to it one bit. Still, she couldn't let Yugi go through his battles alone.

"Miss Ishizu?" Victoria asked.

"Yes, Victoria?"

"Would it be all right if I came to visit you in Egypt, when you return?"

Ishizu looked a bit taken aback by this request. What could have brought this on? Was it because of her interest in other cultures? Whatever the reason, though, she didn't see why not.

"Certainly," she finally replied.

The brunette let out a sigh of relief. For a second she was afraid that she had asked something wrong. "Thank you."

"Of course. Good evening to you all."

"Right back at you."

Ishizu left the basement. Victoria watched her go. _'Oh, she is so nice,'_ she thought. Yami took a look at the stone tablet again, and noticed that the carving of the person he appeared to be battling against bore a striking resemblance to Kaiba. No doubt he was probably the one was hosting the tournament he needed to enter, since he wanted to have a rematch with him.

* * *

Marik had recruited dozens more rare hunters to his army. Now he had more than enough help to crush Yugi and the pharaoh. All he had to do was devise a foolproof scheme that would eliminate his foes forever. At his meeting with the rare hunters that day, Keren was present. She had requested to sit in on the meetings, and he agreed to let her do so, on the condition that she didn't sabotage his plan in any way. Of course, she couldn't promise that, because she did want to help put an end to his scheme and she had his best interest at heart. So if proving that meant showing tough love, then so be it. But because she didn't know what he would want her to do yet, she appeased him.

She felt so uncomfortable there with all the other robed men. They sure looked unfriendly. But she was almost certain that they wouldn't try anything, since neither Odion nor Marik would allow it. She felt a bit tense in such an atmosphere. She stayed close to Odion, since he was the one whom she most felt comfortable around.

"Master Marik, I have some very important information for you that you'll be pleased with."

Marik raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what is that?"

"I've found out who holds the third Egyptian God card. Based on what Keren had told me, it is Seto Kaiba."

"Is that so?" Marik gave an evil grin. Stripping Kaiba of it would be simple. And if Keren knew about that, perhaps there were other things she knew of, too. He was so intuitive, he suspected that Ishizu gave Kaiba the card to stop him and he would probably be looking for the others, too. Well, with the combined strength of the other 2 Egyptian God cards plus his other rare cards, Kaiba wouldn't stand a chance. He needed his suspicions confirmed. "Excellent, work, Odion."

"Thank you, Master."

Marik turned to Keren. "What else do you know of this?"

Keren's mind had been wandering, so she nearly jumped out of her skin. She was tempted to ask what he meant, but she knew he had little patience for absentmindedness. She quickly got her brain in gear. She knew that everyone was waiting for an answer.

"Well, it was Ishizu who gave Mr. Kaiba the card and she also asked him to host a duel monsters tournament that would attract the top duelists in the world. He agreed to do so. I am not sure when, but knowing his strong desire to obtain the other two cards, I am sure it will be very soon. "

So Marik's suspicions were right. Ishizu did indeed give Kaiba the card in order to try to stop him, and that he would find a way to get the others, out of greed. As much as it angered him that Ishizu dared to oppose him, this was an opportunity that he could not pass up. What better way to wreak havoc than to use a card game tournament to get what he wanted?

Keren felt nervous now. Chances were that Marik would think she was inefficient since she didn't know all the details, but she did her best. A small part of her felt guilty, almost as if she was betraying Ishizu by giving out information that would help the evil scheme, but not so much, since she knew Marik would have found out about this sooner or later. Plus, she was only doing this so she could help Ishizu in her plan to save him, even if it meant doing it subtly.

"That will do for now."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaiba was at his company, testing his new duel disk system and preparing for his upcoming tournament. He was also going to use it to test the type of power his Obelisk the Tormentor had. He added some new rules that would change the ones that Pegasus originally had in his Duelist Kingdom tournament, and the dueling robot he would be dueling against as a test would be trained to follow these new rules.

'_This new duel disk system had better function properly so I can start this tournament,' _thought Kaiba. _'I don't have patience for delays.'_

One of Kaiba's employees notified him that the computers were all check out green. Mokuba was a bit apprehensive about this test. The safeguards were off so that meant that the monsters could inflict serious damage. "Start anytime you want, Seto. Just be careful. "

"Quit your worrying. I know what I'm doing."

"I hope so." He didn't want to risk anything happening to his big brother.

Kaiba strapped on his new duel disk. He was so pleased by his improvements on his contraption. It would enable him to track down the other duels of the participants in his tournament. Also, anyone with the duel disk would be able to practice wherever they want to. He designed it this way so he would be alerted whenever someone played an Egyptian God card. _'Even though Ishizu tried to sway me to live in the past, I have to thank her for this magnificent idea. And she was right about one thing. Yugi will always be my arch rival and I will face him again so I can become the number one ranked duelist in the world.'_

The employee lowered the Duel Robot into the test chamber, now that it was updated with the new rules. One of them involved sacrificing monsters that were 5 stars or above and that opponents can be attacked directly when he/she had no monsters on their side of the field. Another difference was that the players start with double the amount of life points they began with in Duelist Kingdom.

"The computer is set to max," another employee told Kaiba.

The Kaiba Corp guy was a bit worried because that meant his boss' chance of victory was slim to none. "I hope you're prepared for anything, Mr. Kaiba. This Duel Robot will be difficult to defeat."

Mokuba couldn't believe his ears. It sounded like the Kaiba Corp guy had no faith in his brother. "What?! Are you saying my brother is going to be defeated by some robot?! You must be on crack or something!"

"My apologies, Sir Mokuba."

The young ceo was getting annoyed by the bickering. "That's enough! I can't think straight!" he bellowed.

Mokuba jumped a mile. His big brother hardly ever raised his voice and when he did it was major. The Kaiba Corp guy also knew that his boss meant business.

Kaiba remembered when Ishizu told him to be careful when using Obelisk because it could be very dangerous. _'Well I must witness its power myself to be the judge of that. I will set it against the power of my three Blue Eyes White Dragons,' _he thought, half smiling. "All right, test, begin."

* * *

Tèa, Yami and Victoria had come out of the museum and were now walking past Domino Station. It had been a very long day for all of them, and they were glad that they made the most of it. Once the tournament commenced, that type of luxury would be gone. And the tournament was going to start very soon, judging from how crowded it was. Sure there were a good number of people at the station on the weekends, but never this much unless something important was happening.

"If this tournament is happening as soon as Ishizu said it was, I must prepare for it," said Yami. He looked at the plushie Victoria gave to him, and thought of his Dark Magician card. It helped him through most of the tough spots he'd been in at Duelist Kingdom, and he was confident that it would help him in this upcoming tournament.

Tèa had a bad feeling about the tournament, that it would not be a friendly game of Duel Monsters. It gave her a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Yugi, please promise that you'll be careful."

"Yes, I know. I am sure I haven't seen the last of the madman who was controlling Bandit Keith. I need to be on my guard." He wondered if the person who manipulated Keith into snatching the puzzle was the great evil Ishizu spoke about.

"Oh suck it up, Yugi. Whoever that nutcase is has nothing on you," Victoria quipped. She was trying to lighten the mood. All of that gloom and doom talk was making her depressed.

"I appreciate your confidence, Victoria."

All of a sudden, Yami felt a strange aura. _'Who could that be?' _ His thoughts were interrupted when a young woman with long blonde hair, dressed in a midriff bearing white blouse and purple miniskirt, came running towards him and the two girls. It was Mai Valentine. "Hi my favorite knuckleheads!" she greeted them. "Long time no see!"

Tèa and Yami were surprised to see her there, knowing what a wanderer she was. Victoria wondered why this was the first time meeting her, as long as she had been in Japan.

"Mai Valentine...we really need to hang out more often," said Tèa.

"Yes we do," replied Mai, pretending to agree. She threw her arms around the brunette's neck, squeezing tightly. "You look so snazzy. Were you and Yugi on a date?"

Tèa wasn't expecting that at all. She struggled a bit in Mai's headlock. "No, not at all. Now would you loosen the grip a bit…I can't breathe." At this point her face was turning blue.

Mai released her and saw the plush Yami was holding. "You're sure? Then what's that Dark Magician doll mean?"

"I didn't give that to him," answered Tèa, half laughing, half exasperated.

"Yeah. Sure you didn't. You don't have to deny your feelings." Then she looked at Victoria, and realized that she had never seen her before. The first thing she noticed was her chocolate colored hair. It was quite a bit longer than hers. She imagined that it was quite difficult to manage. And the clothing she wore said a lot about her as well. "You're new here, aren't you, hun?"

"Yes I am. Just moved here from Scotland last week."

"Ah. I figured as much from the clothing."

The Scottish girl examined her turtleneck and plaid kilt. She never really thought it would attract much attention.

"As you've heard from Tèa, the name's Mai Valentine."

"My name is Victoria Lennox. You may call me Vicki if you'd like."

"All righty then. It's a pleasure to meet you." She extended a hand and Victoria shook it firmly. It was going to be fun getting to know this girl.

"So, are you any good at dueling?" the blonde woman asked Victoria.

Victoria was a bit shocked. So she was a duelist, too. She recalled hearing about how she was 4th place in Pegasus' tournament. She hoped that Mai wasn't challenging her to a duel.

"I'm average. But I'm not supposed to duel in any of the strenuous duels."

"Oh? And why is that?" She never heard about anyone not being able to duel before. Was there a medical reason behind it?

"I have a severe case of arthritis," the younger girl explained.

"Oh you poor thing." Mai never heard much of a teen having such a health issue before, and when she did it was very rare. It meant that having a duel with the girl for fun was out of the question…unless they did it the regular way before there was such a thing as holographic images. "It's a shame that you have to miss out on so much."

"Don't remind me."

Yami couldn't help but crack a smile at how quickly Victoria became friends with Mai. He almost forgot the subject at hand. He just remembered. "Mai, you'll be in the upcoming tournament, are you not?"

"You bet!"

"Do you know when it'll be held?"

Mai frowned at the question. They meant to tell her they didn't know? "It's being announced tonight. You mean you didn't already know that? "

Yami shook his head. "It was not specified."

"Well the announcement is tonight. I am not sure who is hosting it, but I heard that it's someone with a ton of cash and an obnoxious attitude. Only one person fits that description, and that's Kaiba."

Yami furrowed his brow in thought. "Ishizu must have put him up to it…" he realized.

"You have to speak up, Yugi. I can't hear you when you're mumbling." Mai looked around for familiar duelists. There were quite a few actually. "There are some old faces from Pegasus' tournament, some of whom I am not happy to see."

Tèa and Yami looked around to see who Mai was talking about. There was Rex Raptor, Weevil Underwood, Mako Tsunami and some guy with long turquoise colored hair. It didn't take a genius to know that she was referring to Rex and Weevil. Tèa felt nauseous just seeing them. They were major scumbags…she suspected that Weevil would find some way to cheat, like he always did. She had a great amount of respect for Mako, but she couldn't say for the other guy.

"See that blue haired guy over there? He's rumored to duel using ESP."

Tèa rolled her eyes at that. Too many a times people claimed to have ESP and later out turned out to be frauds.

Yami, on the other hand, was thinking more about the assortment of duelists. "This is beginning to look like Duelist Kingdom once again."

"You can say that again." Mai was about to say more when all of a sudden the big TV screens all over the plaza lit up, and the tournament host's face appeared on the screen. Seto Kaiba. Now that he had perfected any glitch that his new duel disk system had, he was ready to go.

"Hello, duelists. Welcome to my new tournament! Because you are all top duelists, I have added new rules that only someone on your level can follow! You will all use my new duel disks, and each duelist must ante up their rarest card, and the loser must hand over their rarest card to the winner."

Yami was horrified at the stakes. "You mean give up my Dark Magician?!" He realized that he must be prepared for anything that could happen.

Mai was horrified too. "That means that only one loss can ruin my deck!" But on the other hand, she was thrilled at the thought of boosting the power of her deck if she won the duels.

"This tournament will make Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom tournament look like a joke!" the ceo continued.

Mai thought he was going too far. "I don't know what's bigger, his ego or his noggin on the screen."

Victoria had to agree. This was the first time she actually witness how he acted and already it was getting on her nerves. "Um...possibly both?"

Tèa stifled a giggle.

A gust of wind came up, and they all looked up to see one of the Kaiba Corp choppers flying overboard. There was Kaiba, standing on the landing strut. He and Yami exchanged a long stare. "Everyone pick up their Duel Disks and register because one week from today, my tournament will begin! If my rules are too much for any of you to comprehend, now is your chance to back down!" He also mentioned that anyone who was not lucky enough to receive an invitation and they want to test their novice skills, they'd better do so before the tournament began.

"You're on, Kaiba," murmured Yami.

Tèa noticed that she hadn't seen Joey, and knew that Kaiba must have been referring to him. She would tell him about it at school.

Victoria had no interest in participating in this tournament, but decided that she would register and get a duel disk for when she was feeling well enough to participate in those kinds of duels.

* * *

Meanwhile, Marik's rare hunters were telling him that it was just announced that the tournament would begin approximately one week later. "Excellent." This was his chance to sabotage the tournament. He ordered his rare hunters to go to Domino City to begin the hunt.

"Yes, Master Marik," they chorused.

Marik gave an evil laugh. _'I'm afraid that this will not be one of your silly card game tournaments, Kaiba. This is world domination. And the end is near for a certain someone.' _


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

A couple of days after school, Yugi and his friends were gathered together in the school yard. Tèa was telling Joey about Kaiba's tournament that would be starting in a few days and that those who didn't receive a private invitation still had time to join if they wanted to. Even though the invitation was still open, Joey was still furious about being disrespected this way.

"Is he really too good to interact with people?! He could have come and tell me to my face! I've come in second place in Duelist Kingdom! What more is he expecting for someone to be considered a good duelist?"

Tristan felt the need to give the blonde a reality check. "News flash, Joey. Kaiba doesn't like you."

As if Joey really cared. "So? The feeling is mutual, only worse. But unlike him, I know the meaning of respect!"

Tristan could only shake his head. Joey really had a temper problem. "You ought to be glad he isn't starting the tournament today."

Joey had to admit that he had a point, but if he wasn't actually given a private invite that would just spare him all the trouble of having to prepare for his duels and he could be spending time with his little sister Serenity right before her eye operation. Besides, he really needed to do a lot of catching up with her. "Forget it! I don't need to be in Kaiba's snooty tournament anyway!"

"That's right." Victoria was in total agreement. "I wouldn't join his tournament if he paid me to. I am sure there would be other tournaments held by friendlier people."

Yugi, who had been silent about this, finally decided it was time for him to be honest. "Well, Joey, I am not joining just for a mere championship title. You and I both know that dueling is not about fame and fortune. I am only in it because someone who is evil will be in the tournament as well, and it is my destiny to defeat that evil."

Joey gave this some thought. As much as he hated the thought of being in anything one of his least favorite people was putting together, he couldn't let Yugi go through this ordeal alone. And this would be a chance for him to show what being a true duelist meant to him. "In that case, Yuge, I'll be right there by your side."

Yugi couldn't believe it. It sounded like his best friend was changing his mind. "You really mean that, Joey?"

"Of course I do! What are friends for?"

"Thank you, Joey. That really means a lot."

'_Now that's what I call deferential,' _thought Victoria. "Well in that case, I have your back."

"Count me in too!" Tèa wasn't exactly sure what she could do to help, but there was no way she would let him go through this battle alone.

"Thanks, you guys. Joey, let's go so we can register and get the duel disk, ok?"

"Ok. Let's do it!" He and Yugi were about to leave when Tristan cleared his throat.

"Hey genius, how are you going to be in the tournament if you have to be there for your sister's operation?"

"Simple! Just start dueling afterwards, duh!"

"Oh. Ok." There were times Joey got overexcited that he could forget some of the more important things. Also, he didn't want to lose his chance to get close to Serenity.

Joey was becoming antsy. "What are we waiting for? Let's go already!"

Yugi gave a slight nod. "Right." He and Joey proceeded to go downtown. Tèa and the others realized that they were being left behind.

"Hey, wait for us!" Tèa and Tristan ran to keep up with their friends.

"Slow down you two. I can't run fast, remember?!" If Victoria had even tried to run, she would risk aggravating her arthritis problems. Boy, did she need a motorcycle for times like this.

"Sorry, Vicki." They slowed down and waited for the girl to catch up. When she finally did, they continued to make their way downtown.

* * *

Yugi and his friends arrived downtown fifteen minutes later. Neither of them bothered to go home to change. "Hey you guys. The registration office is right up ahead." She remembered from when she had been in the store with Yami.

"Great going, Tèa." Joey ran to the office, with Tristan close behind. So were Yugi, Victoria and Tèa, but only at a slower pace.

"How are you able to find it this easily? Have you been here before?" inquired Yugi. Yami hadn't told him about what happened when he was with Tèa except to thank him for letting him spend time with Tèa and Victoria, about Battle City and that he was angered by the ante rule because there were times cards chose duelists and something like that should not be gambled.

"Yes I have…with the spirit of your puzzle. Let's go."

"Okay." The boys took a look that the cards that were displayed in the window. There were some rare cards there. Joey decided at some point in between duels he would come back and buy some of them. Victoria didn't do any window shopping, for she had already bought the cards she wanted. She was just there for the duel disk. Yugi and his friends finally went inside. There was a young man sitting behind the desk, in front of a computer that was pretty old. He looked up when he saw Yugi and his friends come in.

"Hello, children. What can I do for you?"

"We're here because some of us want to buy duel disks," Yugi answered.

"That's right." So much news was going around about the new duel disks in the short time they were completed that he wasn't surprised. "What are your names?"

Yugi and Joey were surprised about that question. If he knew about the duel disks, then surely he should know who they are, especially when their reputation was no secret. Yugi happened to be first in line. "I'm Yugi Mutou."

"Yugi Mutou…" the man mumbled. He entered the name into the computer. As the results came up, his memory was jogged. A picture of him was displayed on the left and his rarest card was the Dark Magician. His dueling level was level 8, the highest. "Excellent, Yugi. As a result of your high level, you get a free duel disk."

Yugi was surprised. "Really?"

"Yes. Anyone who is level five or above gets a free duel disk." The shopkeeper handed Yugi a box with a shiny duel disk in it.

"Okay. Thank you."

Joey was next. He hoped that he would be one of the people that were fortunate enough to get a free duel disk. "Joey Wheeler is my name," he told the shopkeeper.

"All righty." The shopkeeper entered Joey's name into the computer. He frowned when the results came up. Joey's rarest card was the Red Eyes Black Dragon, but his dueling level was only a 2, meaning that the duelist was unheard of. Something was not right here. The young man could not have a card that powerful and a dueling level that low. It made no sense at all. Either it was his computer acting up again or someone playing a cruel trick.

Joey was becoming anxious. "So? What does it say?"

"I'm sorry, young man, but your dueling level is not high enough. It's only a two."

"What?!" Joey proceeded to have a hissy fit. "That lying, traitorous sleaze ball!"

Tristan was a bit embarrassed by Joey's behavior. If Kaiba saw him he would be laughing. He grabbed a hold of his best friend. "Calm yourself, dude! Your blood pressure is probably sky high now!"

Joey was still having the hissy fit. How could this be with the credentials he had as a duelist thus far?

Victoria, however, didn't blame Joey at all for being infuriated. In fact, if Kaiba had done that to her, it would not have been pretty. She despised those types of dirty tricks.

The shopkeeper got his computer working again and the level two changed to a level five. "Well, Mr. Wheeler, it appears that there was a mistake and you are actually a level five duelist. So congratulations. You also will receive a free duel disk." He handed the blonde his duel disk. A wide grin spread across Joey's face as he took the heavy box from the man."I knew everything was gonna be all right." He made a mental note to study the handbook that came with it so he could prove Kaiba wrong.

Tristan and Tèa groaned at how selective Joey's memory could be, though they were just as glad that the problem was resolved. They just hoped that he would learn how to use it before he had to duel so there wouldn't be a repeat of what had happened when he tried to use the old one.

"Anyone else?" the shopkeeper asked. He was about to call Marik and the rare hunters to let them know of the rare cards the duelists had.

"Yes. Me." Victoria was the last one on the line. "My name is Victoria Lennox."

The young man entered her name into the computer. Her rarest card was Cosmic Queen, and her dueling level was level 4. Just narrowly missed the required mark to get a free duel disk.

"Miss, your dueling level is not high enough to get a free duel disk. You can still have one, but you must purchase it."

"Fine." Victoria wasn't interested in the tournament anyway. She handed the man a few yen bills and he handed her a box.

"Thank you. Now everybody, let's go already." The teens left the office. The shopkeeper gave an evil grin. _'Master will be proud of me. Those fools don't have a clue.' _ He picked up the telephone and called the rare hunters.

"Hello, my colleagues. Those pathetic duelists just left the shop…Yugi Mutou and Joey Wheeler both have cards that you'll be interested in. There's even a girl, who isn't as prominent as the two boys who has a card that is extremely powerful. Let Master Marik know that." He was put on hold for awhile as the other henchmen told Marik this. When they returned to the phone, they gave him Marik's congratulations and told him that Seeker would be dispatched to strip Joey and Yugi of their rarest cards.

The shopkeeper felt proud that he did his task efficiently. He feared Marik's punishment that was given for failure. "All right. It's an honor to work with you." He then hung up.

* * *

Marik gloated over his servant the "shopkeeper's" accomplishments. "If all goes as planned, two more rare cards will belong to me!" he ranted.

"That's right," agreed Odion. He hoped he would get a chance to show how efficient he could be.

Keren heard about the hype about the new duel disk system, through another phone conversation with Ishizu, but she wasn't going to get one when she went to Japan. She would only travel to the Battle City finals for moral support, that is, if Kaiba would allow her to.

She couldn't help but cringe when she heard Marik's evil scheme. Didn't he have enough rare cards? He was sure greedy.

'_I hope he doesn't succeed,' she thought. _She wasn't sure of how much more of this she could take. But she vowed to suck it up until it was time to head to Battle City…then she could spend time with Ishizu…away from the other rare hunters who she didn't trust at all.

* * *

Joey had told his friends that he would see them later, and was on his way to the hospital. He had made a promise to Serenity that he would stay with her that night so she would have the courage to go through with the operation. Victoria was with him, too. She had asked if she could meet his sister, which he had no problem with. He couldn't wait to see his younger sister. It had been so long. But it looked like his going to the hospital would have to wait.

Three robed men were standing in the passage way in the alley. They had smirks on their face, and the new duel disks on their arms. They looked like they were waiting for someone.

"Oh great…" the brunette muttered under her breath. "An interruption."

"Just ignore 'em. They can't stop us," Joey whispered to her.

"Okay." The men certainly looked creepy, but not enough to intimidate her. She and Joey kept walking as if they were not there. But when they tried to go pass, the men wouldn't let them pass.

"Going somewhere?" one of them asked in a menacing tone.

"Who wants to know?" replied Victoria in a sassy tone.

"Now get out of our way if you know what's good for you!" warned Joey.

"I don't think so, Joseph Wheeler. You have something I want. Your Red Eyes Black Dragon card."

"Fat chance! You're gonna have to wait because I have something important to do. Now for the last time, get out of our way!"

One of the other men laughed. Neither of the two teens had what it took to defeat them. "You're not going anywhere, unless you defeat me in a duel. But the chance of that is slim to none."

Joey was unsure of what he should do. He didn't want to break his promise to Serenity, but this freak was not giving him much choice. He was about to give in when Victoria held back a hand to stop him.

"I will be your opponent," she announced to the robed man. Joey wasn't expecting that. "Vicki…" he began to protest. He had his doubts about this since she wasn't experienced and it could exacerbate her pain.

"It's all right. Your sister is waiting for you. I can meet her anytime since she wouldn't be leaving the hospital for awhile."

Joey couldn't believe how adamant she was. She had a point, but still…"You're sure?" he asked.

"That I am. Now go on or else you'll be late."

"Okay. But be careful. That caped clown looks like a nasty piece of work!"

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"Okay. If you say so." The blonde still had his doubts but Victoria seemed to have made up her mind. He ran through another passage way, one that was a short cut. Victoria glanced at the three thugs before her.

"All right, you goons, it's go time!" she said, putting on her duel disk and placing her deck inside its slot.

The man who issued the challenge laughed. "I must say, it is quite brave of you to accept my challenge even though it isn't you I am interested in. I suppose that I can use this opportunity to teach you a lesson about meddling into affairs that don't concern you. "

"Whatever."

"Let's duel!" Victoria and the rare hunter said simultaneously. They both drew five cards.

"If you don't mind being a gentleman, I'll go first!" Victoria drew a card. "I summon Dark Witch in attack mode!" (1400 attack points). A humanoid shaped woman with deep purple hair appeared on the field. "I'll also place one card faced down and end my turn. Now let's see what you're capable of."

Seeker wasn't too worried. The witch was weak. It would easily be obliterated by his ultimate creature. "I'll play a monster in defense mode and end my turn. This is the beginning of the end for you, foolish girl. "

"You're bluffing! I play Vampire Lady in attack mode!"(1550 attack points). She ordered Dark Witch to destroy Seeker's faced down monster, which it did with the scepter. She had skimmed the rulebook when she had stopped at home to change and before she came out to go with Joey. She remembered where it said that opponents could be attacked directly when they had no monsters on the field. "Vampire Lady, attack him directly!" The creature of darkness launched her attack, taking the rare hunter's lifepoints down to 2450. "When my vampire takes a chunk out of your life points, you have to throw out a card."

"Impressive." However, he wasn't fazed by the direct attack or by having to send one of his cards to the graveyard. He had plenty of rare cards. He chose to discard Magic Jammer.

"That ends my turn." The young woman was proud of herself. So far so good. She was doing exceptionally well for not participating in this type of duel for awhile. And more importantly, it hadn't taken a toll on her as of yet.

"This is the beginning of the end for you." The rare hunter played Graceful Charity, which allowed him to draw two cards as long as he discarded two cards. He was holding quite a few Exodia pieces. He was very sure that he would draw all of the pieces. "I play one monster in defense mode. Make your move."

"With pleasure." Victoria drew another card. She was ecstatic, as it was one of her most powerful monsters. But she couldn't play it without making a sacrifice. Lucky for her, she had two monsters on the field, which was the exact amount she needed to sacrifice. "I sacrifice my Dark Witch and Vampire Lady in order to summon my Wing Weaver in attack mode!" (2750 attack points)The fairy type monster gracefully appeared onto the field. "Wing Weaver, attack his faced down monster!" The defense monster was destroyed, and Victoria ended her turn.

"Your luck is about to run out." Seeker played another Graceful Charity, and drew three cards as well as discarding two. He smirked. Just the cards he needed, the ticket to his victory. On his next turn, the girl would be finished. Even her Weaver wouldn't stand a chance against his ultimate destroyer. "I'll place another monster in defense mode. That ends my turn."

'_Hmm. This guy has been throwing defense for the entire duel. He has got to be the worst duelist ever. Not even worth my best effort.' _"I play Fairy's Gift in attack mode! (1400 attack points) Wing Weaver, attack his defense monster." Once the defense monster was destroyed, the teen attacked Seeker's lifepoints with her Fairy's Gift, causing him to lose 1400 more life points. The score was now Victoria-4000, and Seeker-1050. "I end my turn."

Seeker was amazed that this unknown girl managed to come as far as she had. However, it didn't matter because the duel was coming to an end. "Foolish girl...I've been leading you through this duel like a dog on a leash. I am about to win this duel."

Victoria thought Seeker was out of his mind. His life points were low and he hadn't even put up a fight. "What are you talking about?"

"I've been preparing to unleash the creature that would be the instrument of your destruction!" The rare hunter laid down all pieces of Exodia. "I call forth Exodia, the Forbidden One!" An ugly brown colored monster appeared.

"Oh no!" Victoria gasped. Exodia was unstoppable. She hoped that her face down card would help, which she doubted. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try it.

"That's right! Now my Exodia, obliterate!" The creature shot a cinnamon colored blast of energy from its hand.

"Nice try! You've activated my faced down card, Gravity Bind! This will block all attacks from monsters with 4 stars or more!" Some sonic waves were emitted in order to stop the attack.

"Not quite! I play my trap card, Trap Jammer, which cancels out the effect of all other trap cards!"

Victoria was stunned. "Then that means—"

"That's right." The Gravity Bind card was destroyed, and Exodia continued its attack, annihilating both of Victoria's monsters. Her lifepoints dropped down to zero. She dropped all of her cards in shock. She came so close. If only she had seen these turn of events coming. She watched to see what these thugs would do next. They were coming close to her. She was almost afraid to see what they had planned. She watched in horror as the robed freaks picked up her cards and took a gander at them. They smirked when they saw Cosmic Queen, and its attack points. Twenty nine hundred attack points. _'Hmmm...Master Marik would be interested in this one.' _

When Victoria realized what they were doing, the fear was replaced with indignity. She marched over to the rare hunters. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?! Give my cards back you scumbag!" She tried to take it back from the man. Try as she might to wrestle him for the cards, even though she was pretty strong, he was even stronger, and he shoved her away, causing her to land on her bottom, on the area she felt the most discomfort. The other rare hunters laughed at this.

"Now where was I?" Seeker snatched up the Cosmic Queen card and scattered the other cards all over the floor.

"Thanks for being so generous, girlie!" The rare hunters laughed again and left.

'_Why you…." _the young woman thought, seething. That man, whoever he was had some nerve assaulting her and treating her cards as if they were toys. Apparently his mother never taught him not to lay his hand on women or to respect people's property. Something told her that she had better check to see which card her opponent took. If it was her rarest card that was stolen, she would be highly upset. She had to go to 5 gaming stores before she found it, back in her hometown. She picked up her cards and looked through all of them. Sure enough, it was her Cosmic Queen card that was missing.

She inwardly cursed a string of expletives at the rare hunter. She gathered all of her cards, stacked them up neatly, and stiffly got to her feet. Her hips had been feeling strangely before, when she first fell, but now she felt sharp pain shooting through them. Not good at all.

'_I guess I'd better get a move on before some more thugs come after me,' _thought Victoria. She slowly made her way home, her agony becoming more intense by the second. This was scaring her. She had never felt this much pain except for rainy days...and it was sunny. Lucky for her, she lived right nearby, so she wouldn't have to bear it for long.

* * *

Meanwhile, Serenity was sitting up in her hospital bed, waiting for Joey. She was still afraid about getting the operation. She hoped nothing had happened to him. She didn't think she would be able to make it without him.

"Serenity? Is something wrong?" asked Mrs. Wheeler, sitting on the edge of Serenity's bed.

"I'm just wondering when Joey will get here."

"Joseph's coming?" Mrs. Wheeler wasn't expecting that news. She imagined that he would be pretty grown up now; after all he was only a kid when she got a divorce.

"Yes. He promised to spend the night because he knows that I am nervous about getting the operation. Isn't it great?"

"Yes…I suppose it is." Actually Mrs. Wheeler wasn't sure what to expect, other than the fact that the atmosphere would be slightly awkward since she hadn't spoken to her son in so many years. But she would make an effort to make up for lost time.

Just when Serenity began to think that something bad had happened, Joey entered the room.

"Serenity, Joseph is here," Mrs. Wheeler told her. Serenity's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Joey!" she exclaimed. She leapt off the bed, ran to him and threw her arms around him.

"In the flesh, sis," he responded, holding her close to him and stroking her hair. Mrs. Wheeler smiled at this. Her son hadn't changed a bit. He was still as energetic and loving as ever.

Joey looked at his mother. "It's nice to see you after all this time, Ma."

"Likewise, Joseph."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

A few days later, it was time for the commencement of the Battle City tournament. Mr. Mutou was outside, sweeping and Yugi was inside his room, putting together the deck he would use for the tournament. He noticed that his grandson's bedroom light was on. He frowned at the fact that he had it on this time of the morning. _'All of the electricity that boy is using is going to cost me my entire pension. And it would be nice if he would come and help me with these chores.' _ He understood that Yugi needed to be well prepared for his duels, but he could only do so much at his age now that his body was slowing down. _'On second thought, these chores can always be completed later.' _ He decided to close the shop for the day. He hung a sign that read CLOSED on the doorknob and locked up the shop.

Up in Yugi's bedroom, Yami was taking one last look at the dueling deck that he and Yugi had put together. There were a good balance of trap and monster cards, but he wondered if he should add some more magic cards to make the deck more even. Yami turned to face Yugi. "I want you to know that I am entering the tournament for a vital purpose, which is another reason why the ante rule is meaningless to me. However, the rare cards may help in our quest to defeat this evil."

"Yes, they can. We must trust in our deck. Our future depends on it."

"Right."

Yugi merged with Yami, buckled on his dueling belt, and headed to Battle City.

* * *

Meanwhile, Victoria was up and about again. She had to take it easy for three days after the ordeal with the rare hunter. She was glad that she was fairly well because she had been looking forward to the start of the tournament so she could see her new friends duel. Also, she intended to get back the card that was stolen from her. Speaking of which, she decided to give Joey a call to see what he was up to. She picked up her telephone and dialed his number.

Joey, who was sitting in his bedroom in his apartment surrounded by snack wrappers and reading the rule book that came with the new duel disk, heard the phone ringing. He wondered who it could be. He hoped that it wasn't Tristan calling to pester him about Serenity. He was growing rather tired of it. He snatched up the phone. "Yo, this is Joey speaking."

"Hey there, Joey, this is Victoria."

Joey was relieved. If it were Tristan he probably would have gone berserk. "Vicki! What's shaking?"

"Not a thing. Just relaxing. What about you?"

"Oh, just reading rich boy's rulebook so he doesn't find a way to make a fool out of me again."

Victoria knew when the blonde said rich boy, he was talking about Kaiba. She liked it and thought it was the perfect nickname to dub him. "Oh, right. Smart idea. By the way, are you excited about the tournament?"

"You bet!"

"Good. We'd better meet up then. You don't want to be late."

"Got that right! Kaiba would never let me live it down."

"See you in a few."

"See you." Joey hung up from Victoria and decided to check up on his sister at the hospital, before he left. Her eye surgery was very successful but her eyes still had to heal and she still had to be in the hospital for observation. He called her hospital room. He hoped that Tristan wasn't there flirting with her.

Two rings. "Hello?"

Joey was relieved. It was Serenity. "Hey Serenity, how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, Big Brother. What are you up to?"

"Oh, just preparing for the duel monsters tournament that's starting today."

"Oh, right." Serenity remembered her older brother telling her about the tournament when he spent the night. She hoped that she would get out of the hospital soon enough to see him duel and that one day, he would teach her how to play duel monsters so she could be a top duelist like him. "I wish there was a way for me to know what's going on with your duels while I am in the hospital."

"You will. My friend Victoria has a laptop and I will send her to show you what's going on." Joey knew that Tristan wanted to, but he didn't trust that his best friend wouldn't get any ideas. Besides, this would be Victoria's chance to get to know her.

"Really?! That'll be great. I should let you go now. Good luck."

"Thank you. I'll need it."

"Bye Joey."

"Later." Joey hung up, and got his deck and duel disk. It was a good thing he ended the call when he did, because just as he picked up his duel disk, he heard a knock on his door. He went to see if it was Victoria. He peeked outside.

Sure enough, it was Victoria. And she was holding something that looked like a duel monsters card. He opened the door.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yep. Let's do this." He stepped outside and made sure to lock his apartment. He and Victoria proceeded to make their way to the city plaza.

"By the way, Joey, I have something for you," Victoria told the blonde teen thoughtfully.

Joey's brown eyes brightened. "Really? What's that?" This sounded interesting. He briefly wondered if it was food, but then figured probably not, since the only thing she was holding was a card of some sort.

"It's this," she responded, handing him the card that she had been holding. He took a look at it. It was a magic card called Giant Trunade. He thanked the brunette.

"My pleasure. I have another one and I thought it would come in handy for you. Consider it a present."

"You're right. It probably would come in handy." He slipped it into his deck. It never ceased to amaze him how giving she seemed to be. First she dueled the rare hunter in his place and now this.

All of a sudden fireworks exploded in the sky. Victoria noted that there were so many people wearing duel disks on their arms. She raised an eyebrow. "I never thought this duel monsters tournament was such a big occasion."

"It certainly is."

"It'll take me some time to get used to this." Victoria knew that at this rate, she would be missing a lot of school. Not that she had a problem with it, but she would have to do a lot of makeup work and she wasn't thrilled about that.

Meanwhile, Yugi had arrived at the city plaza. He wondered where Joey was. He didn't want him to be late. Just then, Mai ran up to him, her long blonde tresses flying behind her. "Hi hun," she greeted the spiky haired teenage boy.

Yugi was happy to see her. "Hey Mai!"

Mai gave a slight frown when she saw that Yugi was alone. "Isn't Joey going to be in this tournament, too?" She was secretly hoping that he would. She wanted a worthy opponent in this tournament, and this would be his chance to make it all the way to the top, even if he would have to get past her and Yugi.

"Yes he is. He isn't here yet. But I am sure he'll be here soon," answered Yugi.

"I hope so. I want a real opponent. Besides you of course."

* * *

Marik had been furious when he learned that his rare hunter Seeker let Joey escape and took a rare card from Victoria instead. He wanted the Red Eyes Black dragon, not some humanoid female monster, no matter how powerful the card was. He had thoughts about banishing his servant to the Shadow Realm right then and there, but decided to spare him so that he could use the official start of the tournament to redeem himself. He used the millennium rod and telepathy to speak with his servant.

"Seeker, this is your last chance to win me those two cards. If you fail me again, there will be severe consequences. Is that understood?"

The hoary haired man knew that when Marik spoke in such an autocratic tone, there was no questioning him and he would make good on his promises. He had witnessed his master's wrath before, when his predecessors failed to complete their tasks and he felt a tremendous amount of fear. "Yes, Master Marik. I understand perfectly. You will not be disappointed. "

"For your sake you'd better succeed." Just as he was done speaking with his rare hunter, Keren entered the hideout holding a glass filled with an orangey red coloured liquid and ice. He wasn't particularly glad to see her, but at least it beat having to babysit incompetent servants. And at least she was making herself useful. He thought he was going to have to banish her forever for being a hindrance to Odion.

"Here Marik. I thought you could use something refreshing." She didn't think she could ever get used to calling him master, considering that she was six years his senior and he was not ruler over her in any way.

Marik took the drink from her and rested it on the arm of his throne like chair. He noticed that she hadn't addressed him with any of the respectful titles his servants typically called him but he was going to let it slide. It wasn't as if she were officially his servant, anyway. The rare hunters, on the other hand, were giving her looks of disapproval. The dark haired young woman didn't notice, though.

There was such an awkward silence. Keren knew she had better say something and fast. But what should she say? It was hard figuring out what to say to someone she had resorted to walking on eggshells around when speaking. She finally managed to hesitantly ask something.

"Um...well, will you allow Seeker to keep the card he stole from that girl Victoria?"

"Absolutely not. I specifically told him to win me the rare cards from Little Yugi and Joey Wheeler, so that girl's rare card means absolutely nothing to me!" He sounded furious, Keren was almost sorry she asked him.

"Wonderful." She wasn't thrilled at the thought of Joey or Yugi losing their powerful cards but she was glad to hear that Marik wasn't interested in Victoria's card. She also hoped Victoria wasn't hurt. Judging from how devious the rare hunters were, they were clearly not to be trusted.

* * *

Soon, all of the duelists who had acquired duel disks were gathered at the city plaza. Joey finally showed up, with Victoria. Yugi was relieved. So was Mai. She was also happy to see Victoria again.

"Hi you two."

"Hello, my favorite blonde knuckle head. And hi again, girlie."

"Hey," both of the teens answered.

Suddenly, an airship with video screens underneath that read DUEL SHIP appeared in the sky and was passing by. On the video screen was none other than the tournament host…Seto Kaiba. Everyone looked up. Joey felt a bit queasy and so did Victoria. All the duelists listened attentively to what he had to say.

"Greetings, duelists. All of you who are good enough to be in my tournament have received a duel disk. The entire city is the stage of the tournament, so the duels can take place virtually anywhere. I will be using my tracking chip to keep tabs on your progress. And if any of you goofs care to test your skills against me, feel free to challenge me because I will be participating in this tournament as well. For the benefit of you slackers who were too lazy to read the rulebook included with the duel disk, I will review them quickly, so you'd better listen. "

The young ceo went over the new rules that were different from the ones Pegasus originally had. Some of the competitors mentally jotted the rules down and there were some who missed the old rules.

"Only eight of you will make it to the finals. The finals will take place in a secret location. The clear cards are called locator cards. If you are fortunate enough to win six of them from those you've defeated, they will be stacked together and reveal the location of the finals. I hope these rules are clear enough for those who have miniscule brains to comprehend! I am not going over them again!"

"Well excuse me for living," Mai muttered.

"I know right?" Joey agreed with her. He was glad that he was one of those who were smart enough to take a gander at the new rules.

"And now that the rules are clear, let the tournament begin!" Kaiba announced with a flourish.

"Bye guys," said Mai. "Time for me to kick some butt. I hope to see you two boys at the finals." She was looking at Joey and Yugi when she said that.

"See you."

"Later, lassie," answered Victoria. "Good luck."

Mai gave one last wave and left.

Yugi wondered who his first opponent should be. That was hard to decide, considering his purpose for being in the tournament. _'Maybe I should wait around for more pawns serving this evil person?' _ he wondered.

Joey glanced at Victoria, who had a purposeful expression her face. "You have some order of business to take care of, don't you?"

The brunette nodded. "That scoundrel stole my best card and I want it back. I didn't pay that much money for it to be snatched without warning."

"I hear ya! Anyone who messes with my friends messes with me!"

An idea of a possible opponent came to Yugi. The same man who stole Victoria's card. He would love to do something for her after what she did for him. "All right. Let's find this man, and then let me know when we find him." He knew that the girl would know better what he looked like than he did; after all, it was she who faced him in the duel.

"Really? Let's go!" She wasn't sure what they had in mind, but any chance to get her card back, she couldn't pass up.

The three teens began a search for the rare hunter, with Victoria as the guide. The search could take quite awhile since the city was so enormous. That meant the caped clown could be anywhere.

"Hey, let's search the Almondo coffee shop first," Victoria suggested.

"All right," Yugi agreed. "Any particular reason?"

"Well it's pretty nearby…also, truth be told, I am feeling a bit drained…I could use an espresso," Victoria admitted rather sheepishly.

"Okay."

Joey had the urge to point out that this was not the best time for a snack break, but he knew better. Not to mention that he could be just as bad at times. So he gave in as well. "To the café it is." So that's where they went. It was rather crowded that day.

Victoria looked around for a waiter/waitress. She wanted to make this quick. She knew that both Joey and Yugi had work to do. She couldn't keep them back. As she was looking, she spotted a very familiar looking figure, sitting in front of a laptop and drinking coffee.

Yugi noticed Vicki's facial expression. "Something wrong?" he asked, worried.

"I see him," Vicki answered.

"Where?" asked Joey.

"The guy sitting in front of the laptop dressed in the cape."

The two boys looked to where she was pointing out to them. The man she was talking about was wearing the same outfit that Bandit Keith wore, when he was under the control of an evil force just weeks prior. This person must be working for the individual who was controlling Keith.

"So he's the one who swiped your card?" Joey asked.

"Yes, and also the one who put me out of commission for three days." Just thinking of the incident made her blood boil.

"Well he's gonna get a piece of my mind!"

"That's very kind of you, but I can handle it." She ran up to the rare hunter.

"Be careful!" Yugi called after her. He and Joey followed her. They wanted to stay close by in case the rare hunter tried something funny.

Victoria loudly cleared her throat. The caped man glanced up, and a smirk spread across his face. "Well, if it isn't the wench I crushed a few nights ago. What can I do for you this time? Do you want more punishment?"

"Spare me your hospitality. You have my Cosmic Queen card and I want it back! I never agreed to hand it over in the first place!" The young lady could feel everyone else staring at her but she didn't care.

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen." The white haired man noticed Joey and Yugi standing nearby. Perfect. This was his chance to make it up to his master. "Your card is mine, and soon I will have the rare cards of those two gentlemen behind you as well."

Victoria's patience was coming to an end. "You will do nothing of the sort! I can take the card back by force, you know!" Boy was this man so despicable.

"Your empty threats will get you nowhere." Seeker had been wondering which one of the two boys he should duel first. He decided on Yugi, since he would be the more difficult to defeat.

Yugi had enough of this. He had to do something. The rare hunter looked at him. "Yugi Mutou, I challenge you to a duel!"

Yugi's puzzle glowed and he allowed the spirit to take over. Victoria wasn't so surprised by the transformation anymore, since she had seen it once before.

"Rare hunter, I accept your challenge," said Yami. "If you win, I will hand over my Dark Magician. But if _I _ win, you must return Victoria's Cosmic Queen."

"That is only if you win. Your chances of victory are minimal. No one has ever defeated my strategy before. However, you've made a wise decision." The robed man left the café area and took his position in the street. Yami did the same. They both activated their duel disks. "Let's duel!" they said in unison.

"Don't worry. If anyone can win your card back, Yugi can," Joey reassured Victoria.

"I hope you're right. There's more to this man's strategy that meets the eye."

"What do you mean?"

"He has Exodia. I should warn Yugi about it."

Joey shuddered. He knew how invincible Exodia was. He was glad that he wasn't facing this robed freak.

"Yugi, be careful! This rouge character is very cunning!"

The rare hunter growled. "Girlie, you'd better not reveal my strategy or I will tear up your card!"

Victoria began to see red. "Try it and I will rip your heart out!"

"Calm down, Victoria," Yami told her. "I will figure out his strategy in due time."

"All right...if you say so." She decided to go and get her espresso while this was going on.

Meanwhile, Tristan and Tèa were running through the streets, looking for Joey and Yugi. Tèa was so disgusted that she almost forgot and that Mr. Mutou had to call her to remind her. And Tristan was slightly miffed at Joey for not telling him when he was leaving and not allowing him to stay with Serenity that day. He wondered how long it would be until he got to meet her.

The duel finally began, and Yami volunteered to start the duel. "I play two cards faced down, and summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode! (1700 attack points). That ends my turn."

The people in the street who were watching were talking amongst themselves, about how weird the magnet warrior looked. They wondered what type of monster it was.

Seeker was holding a few Exodia pieces, and was very happy about that. He smiled to himself that his opponent would be finished soon. _'Master Marik will be proud of me,'_ he thought, grinning. _'How to lure this fool into my trap?' _ "I play Graceful Charity!" He drew 3 cards and discarded two. He had gotten another Exodia piece.

"Not so fast! I play Light Intervention, which requires players to play their monster cards faced up," announced Yami, revealing one of his faced down cards.

"Doesn't scare me in the least," sneered the rare hunter. "I play Stone Statue of the Aztecs in defense mode! That ends my turn."

Unbeknownst to Yami, the rare hunter was using unfair tactics in this duel. He had his cards marked and he wore x-ray contact lens. "I sacrifice Beta to summon Berfomet, which will bring forth Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts! I activate my other faced down card, Polymerization, using it to fuse my two beasts together in order to form Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast! (2100 attack points). I place one card faced down, and end my turn." He would attack on the next turn, since from now on fusion monsters had to wait one turn to attack. He also had to figure out the strategy that Victoria was trying to warn him about and fast, before he fell into a potentially deadly trap.

Seeker used his x-ray contact lens to aid him in seeing what was at the top of his deck. It was another Graceful Charity, which he drew. "I play another Graceful Charity." He drew three cards and discarded two more cards. He had another Exodia piece. _'Excellent…I only need one more piece. On my next turn I will have the final Exodia piece and I will destroy Yugi!' _

Over at Kaiba Corp, Kaiba had noticed the white haired man on his gargantuan computer screen, and wondered who he was.

"Do a research on whom this man is at once," Kaiba ordered his workers, some clone-like girls. Until that day, he had known nothing about him.

The clone girls did a background check on him. "Well, Mr. Kaiba, he has not been in the database until last week, but we knew nothing about him. He must have added himself without us knowing. "

Mokuba, who was made Battle City commissioner, realized what that meant. The rare hunter hacked into the database, which was against the rules. "Don't worry about a thing, Seto. I'll go and disqualify him right now."

Kaiba gave a half-smile. His little brother was taking his role seriously, which was a good thing. Even though what the rare hunter had done warranted a disqualification, he decided to let it slide. _'He could be one of those rare hunters Ishizu spoke about.' _ "I am interested in seeing what style the rare hunter uses in his duels. Let them play."

"If you say so," Mokuba relented. He wasn't happy about it though. If this rare hunter was let off the hook, then other duelists would think it's all right to break the rules as well.

The rare hunter was very pleased that he was so close to winning. _'I can feel victory right within my grasp, and if it were not for my little "aids", I wouldn't have the upper hand.' _ "I play Eargon the Moving Fortress in defense mode! This is strong enough to withstand the attack of your Chimera!"

Yami frowned. Something was not right here. This rare hunter was so confident that he would win, yet all he was doing in the duel was defending. There had to be more to his strategy. Not to mention how testy he got when Victoria was trying to warn him. There was only one move he had in mind that could have him be as secretive as that. It had to be something virtually unstoppable. He recalled the time when Weevil threw the cards into the ocean on the boat to Duelist Kingdom and Joey jumped into the ocean to try to get them back for him.

'_Of course!' _ thought Yugi. "I'm on to your scheme! You plan to summon Exodia the Forbidden One!"

Joey was impressed. He expected nothing less from his best friend, though admittedly, for a second, he was worried that Yugi would not realize in time.

Seeker was astonished. _'Oh no! How did he figure it out?' _ "Well, Yugi, it appears that you are cleverer than I originally thought. However, coming up with a strategy to stop me is a different story."

"Not to worry, I plan to," replied Yami, smiling.

"I'd like to see you try that."

"You'll get your wish."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ishizu was at the museum, pondering the start of the tournament thus far. It was just as her necklace predicted. The pharaoh was presently dueling against one of the rare hunters, so her plan had worked. Her necklace told her that this first battle would be a challenge, but it would be nothing compared to what was to come.

'_My king, please be careful. I have faith that you will emerge victorious,' _thought the Egyptian. She just hoped that the tournament would be the best plan to save her brother. She also wished for Keren's safety as well, while she was still in Egypt. She had a feeling that the Israeli would be in danger at some point, because of the rare hunters. She was glad to get phone calls from her, as it let her know that Keren was safe. She also knew that Keren was experiencing loneliness, and she was glad to be there for her. She was like the sister she never had.

But in the meantime, Ishizu decided to do her part. She knew that if she intended to save her brother, she couldn't just sit back and be an observer. There was only so much time to qualify for the finals. She had to get cracking and find some opponents to duel against. She left the museum and went to Battle City to look for a challenge.

Meanwhile, the duel between Yami and Seeker was underway. Yami had figured out the rare hunter's strategy, but he still needed to come up with a way to defeat it. There was a chance for him to do so, but it was not going to be easy. And there was not much time.

Victoria finally got her espresso and she returned to watch the duel. She hoped that there was progress made.

"Vicki, you're just in time," Joey told her proudly. "Yuge finally figured out the strategy of this caped creep!"

"Oh wow. Awesome!" Victoria was so happy about this. That meant she was just a few steps away from her Cosmic Queen card being back where it belonged—that was if her friend came up with a way to crush this windbag—which she was confident he would. She took a sip of espresso. Already she could feel a difference.

The rare hunter laughed at Yami. "Congratulations on figuring out my strategy. However, you are far too late. I almost have all of the pieces of Exodia, and by my next turn, you'll be finished!"

"Don't listen to this creepazoid! You have him right where you want him," Joey piped up. Watching the duel taught him a new lesson—one that would help him in his upcoming duels.

As the duel continued, Kaiba Corp had more information on the rare hunter. They discovered that his cards were coded with an invisible ink. That would give him an unfair advantage.

Mokuba realized what this meant, and was very angry. He was slightly upset with his brother for not letting him disqualify the outlaw when he first started trouble. Now he really wanted to disqualify him. "Marked cards? He's cheating! I knew I should have disqualified him before!"

Under normal circumstances, the ceo would agree, but somehow he felt compelled to be lenient this time. "Let it go, Mokuba."

The raven haired lad didn't believe what he was hearing. "But Seto," he protested, "the guy is a menace. If he is low enough to hack into the database and cheat, there's no telling what he would do next."

"I realize that Mokuba, but I am willing to let it slide."

Mokuba wondered how his brother could be so lax in this situation, considering that he was the one who made him commissioner. He might as well not have done that if that was the case. Mokuba tried reasoning with his brother one last time. "You were the one who made me Battle City commissioner in the first place so that I can enforce the rules, Seto. I'm just doing my job so that it can be a warning to other participants."

Kaiba sighed. His little brother was making this so difficult. "I need him. This rare hunter may have something I want…and I am interested to see how Yugi plans to defeat Exodia." As much as he wanted his rival to squirm, he felt the rare hunter was not worthy to be called the world's greatest duelist.

Yami had begun to devise a plan to stop the summoning of Exodia. It would take numerous turns, but it was a plan nonetheless. "I'll play one card faced down, and attack your Stone Statue with Chimera the Flying the Mythical Beast! Chimera, attack!" The creature ran with lightning speed and pounced on the statue, reducing it to rubble. "You're nearly defenseless." Yami ended his turn with that move. So far, so good. Now if he could draw some more magic/trap cards before it was too late.

"You'll have to do better than that," the robed man taunted. "Not that you can, because—" He was about to draw the final piece to Exodia, which would make him the winner, but Yami stopped him. He revealed his trap card, Time Seal, which would prevent him from drawing a card for one turn.

The rare hunter growled at this. His opponent was only stalling, which would not do him any good.

'_I bought myself some time, but not very much. If I don't draw the right card then I'll be finished. I know there is a card that can help,' _thought Yugi. He drew a card and it proceeded to glow. He looked at it and was delighted to see what it was. "I play Lightforce Sword!" It was a trap card that randomly slashed one card from the player's hand, stopping them from using it. If desired, the player could also aim for a certain card, which would extend the period of turns that the card would be frozen to three, instead of just one. "I aim for a piece of Exodia!" He played the card, hoping that it would slash what he aimed for.

Much to the dismay of the rare hunter, the dagger-like sword slashed the right arm piece. Joey and Victoria were very pleased about this.

"Way to go, Yugi! Keep it up!" the brown haired girl cheered. For her, the opponent easily won the award for the most despicable person ever. She couldn't wait till Yugi defeated him.

Marik saw how the duel was going on so far and he was dissatisfied, to say the least. His servant's dueling was sloppy so far. A warning was in order. He connected with the henchman to speak with him telepathically.

"Seeker, your performance has been substandard so far," he pointed out to him.

The white-haired man could feel sweat drops falling. He knew his master was telling the truth, and he feared his fury.

"Shall I take over your mind and duel the pharaoh through you?" asked Marik, rather menacing.

"That won't be necessary. I promise you, I am merely toying with this imbecilic duelist. I will reveal my plan in due time," said the rare hunter. He certainly hoped he could. He wanted to show that he was capable of achieving his very own victory.

Marik considered this. At the moment, he found it hard to believe that Seeker would actually win...after all, he _was _the weakest duelist of all of the rare hunters. But toying with an opponent could also work, too. "Very well. If you fail me this time, I will not be forgiving. Is that understood?"

"Yes master."

"Good." He released his hold on Seeker.

Just then, Odion entered the hideout. He noticed that Marik's brow was slightly creased as if he were irate about something, so he chose the super polite approach. "If you would excuse me, Master Marik," the older man said, kneeling before Marik.

"What is it now?" The cornsilk blonde wasn't in the best mood, so he hoped his brother hadn't come to waste his time.

"Has the duel come to an end yet?"

"No, it hasn't. That incompetent fool has been playing poorly so far. I have just warned him that if he failed, there would be consequences."

Odion felt that it was a clever move to send the weakest duelist of all the rare hunters first. It was a great way to become familiar with the pharaoh's tactics. What fun would it be if the pharaoh was defeated in his first Battle City duel? "Shall I be the next one to defeat Yugi?"

"Not yet. You will get your chance in due time. "

"All right."

"For now, I want you to keep your eye on Keren. Make sure that she remains of good use."

"Yes sir." The tattooed faced henchman did notice that during the rare times he did see Keren, she seemed to be distressed about something, but didn't know why. He would have to ask her about that.

Yami had just destroyed Seeker's second defense monster with his Summoned Skull, which he had to sacrifice Chimera to do. Now that the rare hunter was defenseless, all Yami had to do was successfully attack his opponent's directly and he would win. "Rare hunter…it is now a whole new game. You thought that you would defeat me, but now _I'm _in control of this duel."

"That's right, my good friend!" cheered Victoria. At this point she was halfway done with her espresso. Her energy was almost completely replenished. She took another sip.

The rare hunter drew another card. He had been so terrified of his master's wrath but now things were looking up for him. He proceeded to laugh maniacally. Yami didn't like the sound of that.

Joey thought the rare hunter was demented. "What's with that guy? Did he inhale laughing gas or something?" Victoria nearly choked on her espresso. The guy just wasn't right in the head.

"You're sadly mistaken, Yugi. Did you really think you have what it takes to defeat me?"

"I do."

"You should know that rare hunters like me design decks with ultra powerful cards." The rare hunter played his magic card, Swords of Revealing Light. A wall of shiny swords dropped to the ground, blocking all of the monsters from moving. Yami looked on in horror as he realized that he would be trapped for three turns, unless he could find a way to get rid of the swords. Things were not looking good. His friends didn't like the looks of that, but were trying to be optimistic about it.

"Come on, Yuge! I know you can get out of this mess!"

Victoria believed that he would, too, but the chances of that happening had become slimmer. All she knew was that he had to come up with the right card combination—and fast.

Mokuba was frustrated by Seeker's latest comeback. He did not believe a person deserved victory if he or she was going to cheat. "Why are we letting this cheat beat Yugi?"

The older Kaiba smirked. "Well, if Yugi hasn't lost his touch, then he would find a way out of this." _'As if there is really a way to defeat the unstoppable Exodia.'_

Having been snared by the rare hunter's Swords of Revealing Light, there was nothing Yami could do. He just drew a card and ended his turn.

The rare hunter chuckled at this. He enjoyed seeing his opponent so helpless. "At this rate, you're done! One of my Exodia pieces might be rendered useless for two more turns, but I can always draw another right arm. "

A smile spread across Yami's face. This rare hunter was so oblivious.

"What's so funny?" asked Seeker.

"What makes you think that you will draw the Exodia part you need, considering that your deck is loaded with them?"

"You needn't worry about that. "

"Your mistake is that you're only relying on one monster for your victory, but a good dueling deck requires an eclectic selection of cards."

"Nonsense. I have everything here I need in my deck." He drew a card, which was an Exodia head. It would not help him on that turn, but it didn't matter since he was safe from any attacks. Victoria was getting very apprehensive.

"Come on, Yugi! There isn't much time."

"Take him down, Yuge! You can do it!"

Yami looked at the two teens and nodded. He knew that if he did not do something soon, not only would he lose his chance to win back Victoria's card, but he would also lose his Dark Magician card. Given that he had to save the world from destruction, losing was not an option. Fortunately, he thought of a strategy to foil Seeker's plan, but it had to be executed methodically. "I set one card faced down and summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in attack mode! (1400 attack points.)

Seeker thought Yami was out of his mind. Why would he place his monster in attack mode when he was still frozen? Was he up to something? "Need I remind you that you cannot attack?"

"I can't, yet," answered Yami.

The rare hunter couldn't believe it. Did his opponent come up with a way to get out of his tight spot?

"That's right, Rare Hunter. The only thing stopping me from attacking is your swords card, which is a weak and temporary shield, but once I dispose of them, your life points will be wide open," continued Yami, referring to the fact that the rare hunter was still defenseless. He also reminded Seeker of the flaw in his deck—the lack of balance, only Exodia cards, which were helpless by themselves.

Seeker was now becoming worried. Normally he would say that it was a bluff, but judging from the determined look on Yami's face, he did not have much time to prove himself to his master. He had to make this next turn count. "You played well, but this duel is about to end. It's my turn now." He drew a card, and gave an evil grin.

"It's another Exodia piece, am I right?" guessed Yami, eyeing the grin on the rare hunter's face.

"That's right. Soon I'll have all the pieces to assemble the deadly puzzle."

"But not soon enough," said Yami. He wasn't too worried now. He had set a trap for the rare hunter and was waiting for him to make the move he expected, and wanted him to make.

Victoria finally finished her drink, and went to find a trash can to toss the empty cup in.

A horrifying thought occurred to Seeker. _'What if Yugi discovered some trick to destroy my swords? I'd better protect my life points. Yugi forgets that every individual card is a monster as well. _Because the Exodia head had the most attack points of all of the parts, he settled for using that one. "I play Exodia head in defense mode! Now you can't touch my life points. "

It was just as the spiky haired young man had planned. Yami chuckled again. "That's exactly what I wanted you to do. Now it is time for me to destroy Exodia!"

'_What? It can't be!' _ thought the rare hunter.

"You activated my trap card…a costly mistake!" Yami revealed the card he had faced down, Chain Destruction. It was a card that could destroy the Exodia heads the rare hunter had in his hand and his deck. The golden chain pierced all of the Exodia heads, with the exception of the one on the field. Yami would go after that one eventually. The rare hunter screamed as smoke emitted from his damaged cards. Without the heads, he could no longer summon the beast. He was stunned that this duelist found a way to stop a creature that was indestructible. He had underestimated him.

Of course that was just the beginning of the onslaught. "I've also found a way around your Swords of Revealing Light. I activate my trap card, Dust Tornado!" It was a trap card that allowed him to destroy one other trap or magic card that he chose. He used it to get rid of the Swords of Revealing Light. Seeker watched in horror as he saw his swords were swept away by a gusty typhoon.

'_I can't believe it! He's now going to come for my lifepoints,' _thought the white haired man, quivering.

"I play Monster Reborn, using it to revive Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast!" The winged lion-like creature with two heads reappeared on the field, roaring. "Chimera, attack the final Exodia head!" The beast ran towards the Exodia head with its lightning speed and pounced on the head, destroying it. The rare hunter screamed again. Joey was beginning to get a headache. _'Why doesn't this wacko shut up?'_

For the final touch, Yami combined the forces of his magnet warrior and Summoned Skull. The electricity gave the warrior an extra 200 attack points, giving it 4100 attack points altogether. More than enough to wipe out Seeker's lifepoints. "Now my monster, attack the rare hunter's lifepoints directly!" The magnet warrior, electricity crackling around its sword, lunged at the rare hunter and stabbed him. He cried out in pain and collapsed. With that, his lifepoints dropped down to zero.

"Yeah, Yuge! You won!"

The crowd watched in astonishment. Some people cheered for Yugi's victory over the rare hunter. Victoria returned to finish watching the duel, but it was already over. She was too late. She guessed that Yugi was the winner, by the looks of the caped clown. She thought it served him right. She knew that it was all what mattered, and that she could always ask Joey to fill her in on all the details.

Mokuba was amazed and impressed that Yugi defeated Exodia. After all, it had never been defeated before. Yugi was the first one. "Wow! Yugi had an awesome strategy! What a way to stop the summoning of Exodia. "

Kaiba wasn't as impressed. "I expect nothing less from Yugi. However, I have a much more powerful one, and he will never defeat it," he remarked confidently. "I will head off to Battle City right now."

"I'm coming, too. I have to make sure no one else is cheating." Mokuba called after him. He broke into a sprint to keep up with his older brother. He reminded the clone girls to let him or his brother know when someone played a god card, and left.

The rare hunter was still lying on the ground. He knew that he would be in for an earful, and he could only hope that Marik would spare him. He had tried his hardest, but hadn't seen Yugi's move coming.

Joey and Victoria congratulated their good friend.

"What a way to give that caped creepazoid the butt kicking of a life time, Yuge!"

"Excellent work! You sure showed that filthy scum."

Yami smiled at his friends. "Thanks, you two." He wandered over to the caped man and picked up his deck. He flicked through it until he found the Cosmic Queen card. _'Here it is.' _ "I'm taking Vicki's Cosmic Queen card and your locator card," he announced to the rare hunter. "You won't need to find the finals now." All of a sudden he felt something on his fingers. He frowned. What was going on here?

Joey noticed Yami's expression. "Something wrong Yuge?"

"Something's rubbing off on my fingers." He looked and saw why. It was coded with something. "All these cards are marked."

"He was a cheat!" Joey commented.

Vicki snorted. "Doesn't surprise me."

Yami tore up the marked cards and let them float to the ground. "Not anymore."

The rare hunter finally recovered from his shock. And sure enough, he was not going to get away with his failure. "I lost...I failed."

Joey's eyes popped wide open, as if saying, huh? He wondered what was wrong with the man.

"Oh for the love of crap!" yelled Victoria, rubbing her forehead. The rare hunter's screaming was giving her a migraine. At this rate she was going to have to get another caffeine related drink. She wondered who he was talking to, anyway.

"Forgive me Master! I tried my best!" Seeker got to his feet. "Please don't be angry! Ahhhhh!" He grabbed his head. "No master! Don't! Please, spare me!" As much as he pleaded for his master to not punish him, it was no use. The Eye of Horus appeared on his forehead and he proceeded to glow. When he spoke again, his voice had the electronic sounding voice. "We meet again, Pharaoh. "

"Not this again," Vicki muttered under her breath.

The mind controlled rare hunter spoke again. "Remember me, Pharaoh? Actually, perhaps you don't! You were in the puzzle when I dueled little Yugi, although I thought I could sense your presence. Congratulations on defeating my rare hunter. However, he was the weakest duelist...my other minions will be more formidable, so this will be your final victory. I have waited for you for many years and now I will destroy you. I will not allow my other rare hunters to fail me like this again! I have no tolerance for failure, so as punishment I have trapped his mind in the Shadow Realm and taken over his body! I am in control!" He proceeded to dance like a puppet that had strings.

Vicki had the urge to burst out laughing, which she would have done if she wasn't so busy thinking about possibly having nightmares.

"Yeah, this guy is creeping me out," said Joey, trying to suppress his fear.

"How do you control him?" Yami inquired. He could sense evil around this puppet master.

"I am in possession of one of the seven millennium items, the millennium rod. It is the perfect tool for mind control."

Yami's suspicions were correct. This unknown person was using the powers for evil. He recalled Ishizu's warning to him. This must be the great evil she told him to watch out for. "No good can come from that power."

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Marik," said mind controlled Seeker.

Yami mentally jotted that down, even though he wasn't one to forget names. What he wanted to know was why this man had a grudge against him. "What is your business with me?"

"Simple. I want what I deserve to have. I will take it using the strength of the Egyptian God cards."

"Egyptian what?"

Marik began to explain what the Egyptian Gods were—a trio of behemoth that had powers so awesome that they nearly destroyed the world, so the pharaoh locked them away. That was until Pegasus resurrected them as cards.

Now Yami saw the picture clearly. This new foe wanted the powers he once possessed for some reason. But he was not going to allow it to happen. "You won't get my puzzle!"

"You misunderstand. What I truly want is the boundless power of the ancient ruler you once were. But of course seizing your puzzle as well couldn't hurt, since you will no longer have a use for it after I destroy you. Everyone will experience the reign of a true ruler. The end is near, Pharaoh. Soon you'll feel the wrath of one of my two Egyptian God cards! "

"Not yet, Marik. I'm beginning to understand why Ishizu asked me to participate in Battle City. It is my destiny to stop you from achieving the power you seek and recover my lost memory, and I will do everything in my power to do so."

"I am afraid that destiny will not be on your side this time. Your days are numbered. The game has just begun. Enjoy the limited time you have left in this game and as a ruler, because soon your power will be mine and you will be cast into oblivion!" Marik released his hold on the rare hunter, who collapsed in a heap.

"Whoa," said Vicki. "Can we say psycho?" Now she was glad that she volunteered to help in any way she could during this tournament.

"That was weird," commented Joey. "I knew that guy was a big creep, but who knew he was just a pawn of an even bigger creep?"

Yami held out the Cosmic Queen card towards the brunette. "Here you go Vicki. Take your Cosmic Queen back."

"Thank you so much, Yugi," said Vicki, taking the card from him and placing it within one of the pockets of her mini-dress. On impulse, she gave him a quick embrace. Yami was a tad surprised by that, but relaxed and returned her embrace.

As freaked out as Joey felt by the little episode by the rare hunter, this gave him all the more reason to help. He flicked through his deck and took out his Red Eyes Black Dragon card. "Hey Yuge, I have something that you need more than me right now."

"And what's that?" asked Yami, violet eyes filled with surprise.

"It's this," answered Joey, handing Yami the card. He glanced at it. The Red Eyes Black Dragon card. It was currently Joey's best card.

"But Joey…I cannot take your most trusted monster," he said, about to hand it back to the blonde.

"I insist. Based on what that robed freak said, you won't be able to go through this battle alone. "

"What are you saying, Joey?"

"The rare hunters have a ton of rare cards, and you'll need all of the powerful cards you can get. You've helped me since we became friends, by teaching me what you know about Duel Monsters. Give me a chance to help you. Besides, I can always earn it back from you in a duel that will show you how far I've come in the road to becoming a true duelist. Also, I have another rare card that you gave me during Duelist Kingdom."

"The Time Wizard," Yami recalled.

"Yes. It bailed me out of jams in Duelist Kingdom and I know that it'll do the same for me here in Battle City. Also when I win the duels here, I will have even more rare cards. We're a team. Together we will make this Marik and his rare hunters sorry that they ever decided to mess with us."

Joey's intentions were clear to the once ancient ruler. He merely wanted to lend him his strength in this battle. Well, he appreciated it. He slipped it in his deck."Thanks, Joey. I'll be sure to use it well."

"Don't mention it. Think of it as putting a part of me in your deck."

Yami gave Joey a firm handshake. "You're a true friend, Joey. Together we will overcome any evil that comes our way."

"Right."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

After Yugi's duel with the rare hunter, Joey went off to find an opponent and Victoria stopped at home to put up her rare card and get her laptop. She had told Joey that she would go to the hospital to keep Serenity company for a bit, and tell her what was going on with Joey's duel, as the entire Battle City tournament would be streamed online. He had made it very clear about not wanting Tristan to be there yet, and she understood. Yugi had to look for an opponent as well, but he didn't know who he should duel against next. He wondered if he should just be on the alert just in case another rare hunter wanted to challenge him. After what Marik had said, he would be a fool to think that he wouldn't have to duel any more of his minions, but if he did send one, he would be ready.

Marik was in an extremely foul mood because of Seeker's failure. But as Odion mentioned to him before, there was a bright side to all of this. He was now familiar with some of Yugi's dueling tactics. All he had to do was prepare a deck for his other minions that would be designed to counter Yugi's strengths. Even so, his patience was becoming thin. He wanted the pharaoh's power and soon. He decided to take his game up a few notches. This pacified his anger a bit.

The remaining rare hunters, including Odion, were very nervous. They never liked being on the end of their master's wrath. So they were being careful not to say or do anything to provoke him.

"Master Marik, what shall we do for you, now that Seeker has failed?" one of the rare hunters asked.

A cruel smirk spread across Marik's face. "Well, my servants, I think it is time to put the next part of the plan into motion. I will crush the pharaoh with one of my Egyptian God cards. I want you to make copies of my Winged Dragon of Ra card and test their power." The semi-antagonist handed Odion the Winged Dragon of Ra card.

"Consider it done, sir," said Odion obediently.

"And you are to return the card after you are through making the copies. Am I clear?" Marik was not willing to risk losing the actual card.

"Yes, Master Marik." He bowed respectfully and left the hideout. The other rare hunters followed, too, as testing the card copies would be a task for all of them. Marik had to know which of them could summon a God card with success.

Meanwhile, Joey spotted a duel that the same throng of people who watched Yugi's duel was watching. It was dino duelist, Rex Raptor and a boy with longish blue hair. Rex Raptor had what looked like his Serpent Night Dragon on the field. Swinging in front of it was a hypnotic device of some sort. Joey had never seen it before. What he heard out of the boy's mouth surprised him even more.

"I knew you were gonna play that dragon, so I had my Mesmeric Control card ready and waiting. You are no match for my psychic powers," taunted the blue haired young man.

Rex was stunned. It looked like it was all over for him. "It's impossible. How did you know what type of card I was going to play? "

"Simple. I'm psychic."

Joey rolled his eyes. Not another person pretending to have ESP. First it was Mai Valentine (though he had since then become good friends with her) and now this nut job. Sure he loved seeing Rex Raptor squirm, but he had little patience for frauds.

"Your pathetic dragon will fall at the hands of my Jinzo! Jinzo, attack with your psychic wave!" The android duel monster shot reddish colored waves at the dragon, destroying it and making Rex's life points drop down to zero.

Rex was overcome with disbelief. He was knocked out of the tournament in his very first duel. He wondered where he went wrong. It seemed like he always had bad luck in major tournament—at least ever since the time he was beaten by Joey in Duelist Kingdom.

The taunting didn't stop. "I predict that you will hand over your locator card and your rarest card."

Rex Raptor glumly handed the cards over. "Promise that you'll take care of it?"

"Heh. Your card is worthless but rules are rules," answered the blue haired young man, slipping the card into his deck.

The dino duelist sighed. The opponent wouldn't stop with his snide comments.

Espa Roba looked into the crowd for another possible opponent. "Which one of you losers can I embarrass next?"

Some of the duelists were horrified by Espa's dueling tactics. They came up with lame excuses for not dueling, such as "I left my deck at home," "My duel disk malfunctioned," and "My hand is broken and my doctor told me not to put pressure on it. "

Espa could see through the excuses. No such things were the case. _'Hmm. They're all intimidated by my ESP.' _He spotted Joey, who looked bewildered. _'That guy looks like he is in a daze. He would be easy pickings for my Jinzo.' _ "Hey blondie. Want to duel with me?"

Joey's mind had been wandering a bit. He snapped back to reality. "Huh?" While he was deciding, Rex was trying to discourage him from accepting the challenge.

"He's ruthless. He duels using ESP."

"Yeah so I've just heard. But psycho is more like it," Joey scoffed, rolling his eyes again.

Rex shook his head. It seemed like he wasn't getting through to Joey. "He's psychic, and he'll eat you alive."

Joey still wasn't convinced. Not after all the times he dueled so called psychic people who were merely putting on a façade. "You're sure about this?" he asked skeptically.

"I know what I'm talking about. You saw him destroy me."

The blonde decided that it was time to expose this Espa Roba person for the con he truly was. "Then let's get on with it! I accept your challenge, psycho boy!"

That response shocked Rex. Joey sure was hopeless, from his point of view. "What? Didn't you hear my warning, Wheeler?"

"Sure I did but I creamed you in Duelist Kingdom and I duel by my own rules. Rule number one in the Joey Wheeler rulebook: Never back down from any challenge, and rule number two: always choose opponents with crazy dueling techniques. The stronger the opponent, the better my skills become."

"Joey Wheeler," Espa said to himself. The name rang a bell. He thought for a moment about where he heard the name before and it came to him. "Oh, it's you! You were the runner up in the Duelist Kingdom tournament. I would be honored to test out my skills against a worthy opponent such as yourself."

Joey got this silly grin on his face. "I guess my reputation precedes me."

"Yeah...your reputation as a fool," commented Rex snidely. "I tried to warn you, puny brain."

"Whatever."

Victoria was walking through the halls in the hospital. As promised, she brought her laptop with her. She spotted a nurse nearby.

"Hey Miss? Can you tell me where Serenity Wheeler's room is?" she asked.

"Room 51-B, the first one on the left."

"Thank you." _'The nurses here are sure helpful.' _ She kept walking, and sure enough, there the room was. She was so glad that it was nearby. She wasn't one for long walks. She opened the door and entered. There was a girl with long reddish hair sitting on the bed. Her eyes were covered with bandages. Vicki guessed that it must be Joey's sister Serenity.

"Who is it?" asked the girl.

"I am Victoria, but you may call me Vicki if you'd like."

"Hey there. You're my brother's new friend, right?"

"Right. I am sure that you're bored out of your mind up here, so I thought I'd keep you updated on your brother's first duel."

"Awesome!" It was exactly what she was hoping for. She thought she would die from boredom. Vicki was a lifesaver.

The older girl swung her hair out from behind her and sat on Serenity's bed, rested her laptop on the desk and turned it on. She logged onto the Battle City website. It showed Joey vs. Espa Roba. She mentally told Joey to take him down and that she believed he could.

"Vicki? Has the duel started yet?" inquired Serenity.

"Not yet. It's about to, though."

"Good." Serenity didn't want to miss any of what was going on.

Tèa and Tristan were still looking for Yugi and Joey.

'_Where is Yugi? I knew I should have called him before I left home.' _

Tristan was still a bit sore because Joey wouldn't let him see Serenity yet. He was desperate to meet her. "At this rate I'll never get to meet Serenity," he fretted.

Tèa was not in the mood to hear about it. She was already stressed enough. "Tristan, would you quit your complaining? I can't think straight. Besides, you're more needed watching Joey's duels than at the hospital. You'll get to see Serenity all in good time."

"Sorry." Tristan muttered. He knew Tèa was right, he was just anxious. But he would have to get his anxiety under control.

Yugi, with Yami still in control remembered his new enemy's warning, and was looking for another challenge. He heard some spectators mention that Joey was dueling an ESP duelist. He knew that this was the same duelist that Mai mentioned. He decided that in the meantime, he would watch Joey's duel and offer moral support.

The duel between Joey and Espa was about to begin. They each put up their rarest cards: Joey his Time Wizard and Espa his Jinzo. "Let's duel!" said Joey, activating his duel disk and then drawing his cards. Espa did the same.

"I'll start this duel, you blue haired freak!" Joey took a look at the cards in his hand. He thought he had a decent opening hand. Choosing which card to play would be rather difficult. There were quite a few possibilities. He remembered the rules in the rulebook he had perused that talked about sacrificing weak monsters if he wanted to play monsters with level 5 or greater…so playing the strongest card in his hand, Giltia the Knight would be out of the question. He would have to wait awhile. Plus, he felt the need to go easy on his opponent while he figured out a strategy. He decided on his Battle Warrior, which only had 700 attack points...too weak to attack with unless he was targeting his opponent's life points. "For my first move, I play—"

The ESP duelist started making this annoying humming sound, similar to the one that Mai made when she was pretending to be psychic. This nearly threw Joey off, but he caught himself. He wasn't falling for that trick again. "Oh stars, make me one with the cosmic universe!" he said, stretching his arms horizontally. "I predict that you are toast!"

"Well I have my own prediction. I will send you packing, so I play Battle Warrior, in defense mode!" he announced, placing the weak monster card on his duel disk. A pale blue colored warrior appeared on the field.

Espa laughed at Joey's first opening move. "Just as I thought! All that talk about sending me packing but now I know that it was just an empty threat! I summon my Cyber Raider in attack mode! (1400 attack points)" The warrior was navy blue, and had a charcoal colored face with yellow eyes. "Cyber Raider, send that wimpy warrior to kingdom come!" The stronger warrior delivered a ferocious punch to Joey's monster, destroying it.

'_Oh Joey,' _thought Vicki when she saw that Joey was now defenseless. _'You're off to a rocky start, but I know you can get back on track. But you've got to get a monster onto the field.' _

Serenity noticed that Vicki was very quiet. "Is something wrong? What's going on with my brother?"

"He just lost his only monster. However, with it being in defensive mode, he still has all of his life points. But I'm afraid that it will not last long. He has to get a monster onto the field. "

"Okay. Thank you for letting me know." She didn't really care what was going on, as long as it was the truth. _'You can do it, Big Brother.' _

Yami was watching the duel from a rooftop of a building. _'Hang in there, Joey. You can pull through.' _ Like Joey, Yami was suspicious that this duelist was not what he said to be. His suspicions grew when he saw younger versions of Espa holding binoculars. They were apparently using them to spy on Joey's hand. The look-alikes were also talking to Espa via radio, about which cards Joey was holding. _'This duelist is cheating, and it'll be the end of him,' _he thought.

"My psychic powers tell me that you have drawn a Graceful Dice magic card that you plan to use with the top card in your hand, the Swordsman of Landstar! But that move won't be good enough, either!"

'_Old blue hair thinks he's so smart. He thinks he knows all of my moves, and that I have another Graceful Dice card. But that's where he's wrong. Well, I'll show him.'_ "That's what you think, but that first move was just a warm up! I'm through going easy on you!"

"If that's the case then let's see you stop me! I predict it's another lame move!"

"I'll show you who's lame! I play Flame Swordsman, and I put him in attack mode! (1800 attack points) I'll also set one card faced down for later! Take your best shot, psycho boy!"

Espa gritted his teeth, but then put his game face back on. He couldn't give Joey the satisfaction of knowing that the incorrect description was driving him crazy. "With pleasure. I sacrifice my Cyber Raider in order to summon the Fiend Megacyber!" (2200 attack points) A warrior that was mostly yellow, with a black colored face appeared. _'This loser may have a card faced down, but I am not worried. It is not going to work as Graceful Dice can only be used on low level monsters under 1000 offense points.' _ "Go my fiend, take out that puny swordsman!" The warrior prepared to attack the swordsman dressed in blue and orange. Joey gave a small smirk. _'Gotcha!' _

'_Huh?' _ thought Espa. He wondered what Joey was grinning about. His Graceful Dice was not going to work on his Flame Swordsman. Did he not know what he was doing or was he deceiving him?

The latter was the case. Joey revealed his faced down card, which was a trap card called Skull Dice."This trap cards lowers the attack points of your monster depending on the roll of the die." The miniature creature tossed a red dice. _'Come on.' _ The crimson colored die landed on a five, reducing Fiend Megacyber's attack strength to a very low 440 attack points. "And now that your fiend is basically a wimp, Flame Swordsman, attack it with your flaming sword of battle!" The fiend warrior was reduced to ashes by the fire attack. He lost 1360 life points, bringing them down to 2640.

Espa was speechless. He couldn't believe that Joey outsmarted him. He wondered if it was possible that he had underestimated the blonde. Joey had a thing or two to say to him.

"Your psychic shtick was just a con! I never planned to use Graceful Dice! Someone who only knew that I was holding two dice cards was telling you this information, only they didn't know which one! This confirms what I've suspected about you all along! You couldn't foresee my moves at all, you snake in the grass!" he said angrily.

Even Rex Raptor was disgusted, and impressed that Joey figured it out. "You cheat!"

Espa's smugness turned to fear. He had been exposed, which meant if someone found his brothers, he would be in big trouble.

'_That was an excellent move, Joey. Now you're in control of this duel,' _Yami mentally told Joey.

The other Roba brothers were worried. Now that Joey figured it out, they knew that they would not get away with this. "Uh oh. We're busted," the oldest of the group said. At that very moment, they heard the sound of a whistle.

"Violation!" screamed a shrill voice. The brothers proceeded to flee, but the voice continued. "Freeze!" The voice belonged to the commissioner of Battle City, Mokuba. He reached out and grabbed the ankle of the oldest brother. "Gotcha!"

The boys stopped, and looked up. They saw that they were face to face with the commissioner. They braced themselves for a harangue or any type of punishment he had for them.

"Your brother will never duel in this town again!" the younger Kaiba declared.

"Please, commish, give him another chance," pleaded one of the brothers.

Mokuba's stern expression deepened. "As a commissioner, it is my sworn duty to bust cheaters! Give me one reason why I shouldn't disqualify him."

"He's not dueling for the dueling glory; he's dueling to protect us." Another brother explained that they used to be carnival folks and that after school, bullies would gang up on them. But the bullies respected top duelists and as long as he won, the bullies didn't bother them.

Mokuba's expression softened a bit. "Your big brother protects you from bullies?" That sparked some memories of when he was little.

_Flashback_

_Some bullies had teased Mokuba and pushed him around and he was in tears. This made the bullies laugh at him even more. It was something your average bully would play on. They got the thrill of hurting people weaker than they were and once their victims showed that they were upset, they continued with the bullying. _

"_Does the baby need a diaper?" one of the bullies taunted. _

"_Why don't you try picking on me if you're so tough?" challenged Seto. _

_End Flashback_

Ever since that experience, Mokuba always related to any other person who got bullied from time to time. But their actions were still inexcusable. His expression became firm again. "It's still cheating! If I let you guys off the hook, what's to keep you from pulling this stunt again?"

"I promise, it won't happen again."

"Yeah, give him a chance to go legit. He's a great duelist even without the bogus psychic abilities," one of the younger brothers agreed.

Mokuba looked thoughtful. The brothers did seem sincere. He glanced up and saw Yami standing on top of the building, realizing that he must have seen everything. And knowing his forgiving nature, he would give them a second chance.

"All right. This is your last chance," the youngster relented. "However, if he cheats again, the match automatically goes to Joey."

The older Roba brother nodded solemnly. "Understood. Thank you so much, commish. "

Mokuba rubbed his nose, thinking about how big brother stories always got him. He only hoped that the young brothers would stay true to their word.

Espa heard the warning, and decided to brush it off since no one ever won against him when he played fair, either. "All right, let's continue on with this duel, Wheeler! Your luck is about to run out!"

"Oh please, you're just mad because I put an end to your cheating ways!" Joey shot back.

"That means nothing! Even in a fair duel, you can't win against me! Rumor has it that without Yugi's help, you can't duel your way out of a paper bag and I will prove it!"

"Just you try it!"

"Very well." Espa drew a card. "I place one card faced down and end my turn."

"My turn now." Joey drew a card, and was pleased to see that it was Alligator's Sword. Since Espa had no monsters on the field, he could launch a direct attack. With its 1500 attack points added to the 1800 attack points from Flame Swordsman, it would make a grand total of 3300 attack points, which was more than enough to wipe out the remainder of his life points. _'Let's see him try to wrestle this gator!' _ I summon Alligator's Sword in attack mode!" The green reptile with a little black ponytail, holding a sword appeared. "You're finished! Go Flame Swordsman, attack him directly!" The fire-based warrior attacked, bringing Espa's life points down to 840. The ESP duelist groaned in pain.

Victoria saw Espa's life points decrease, and was ecstatic. "Hey Serenity. Your brother's comeback is continuing. Just one more attack and he'll win!"

"Awesome!"

Joey sent his Alligator's Sword to attack, hoping that it would be successful. But Espa gave a smug grin. "If you think you're going to attack me twice, you're crazy!"

Joey was stunned. It looked like Espa had let him attack on purpose in order to lure him into a trap.

Espa revealed his trap card, Mind Control, which allowed him to take an enemy monster and brainwash it. He chose to use it to take control of the Alligator's Sword. The reptile monster's eyes started to swirl, which indicated that it was under a hypnotic effect.

Joey was becoming nervous. "This can't be good." He knew that he didn't come up with something soon, he'd be finished.

Yami observed all of this from the rooftop, and he himself wondered why Espa chose to use Mind Control on Alligator's Sword when he could have used it on Flame Swordsman to attack the reptile warrior. This meant Espa had other plans, and that he must want to sacrifice the gator for a stronger monster. _'You know what this means, Joey. Build up a defense.' _

Having figured out Espa's strategy somewhat, Joey placed a card faced down, ending his turn. _'Come on. I know you can't resist attacking my swordsman. But if you do, I'll be ready.' _He was doing very well so far and he was not going to let up.

"You're done, Wheeler! I sacrifice your Alligator's Sword in order to summon my almighty Jinzo to the field!" (2400 attack points) The android being appeared, grunting. Espa noticed the smug expression on the blonde's face, and gave a smirk of his own. "You'd better hope that your faced down card is not a trap, or else you won't like my next move at all!" He commanded Jinzo to show off its special effect. It shot a beam from its eyes and aimed it at the trap, setting it on fire and destroying it. Joey watched this in horror.

"Ah! My trap!" he screamed. He'd never had to fight a monster like Jinzo before.

"That's right! With Jinzo on the field, all of your trap cards are useless!"

Joey didn't like the sound of that at all. That meant he could only use magic and monster cards now. He would have to find a super powerful magic and monster card if he hoped to take this monster down and win. He didn't know how. But he was not going to allow the cheater to defeat him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Marik went to check and see what progress that his henchmen were making on the task he assigned to them. They'd better not had failed at that, too, because it was a no brainer, compared to winning him rare cards. At least that was how he looked at it anyway. His servants could be so inefficient that it was maddening to deal with. He entered the underground vault where Ra was once hidden. He saw that his rare hunters had just finished making the copies. Excellent. They hadn't screwed up this task after all. Odion returned the original copy to him.

"Good work, my rare hunters. Now let's see how powerful those copies are," said Marik, slipping the card back into his deck. If any of his rare hunters got through this exercise okay then perhaps when he sent them to destroy Yugi, he would give them the counterfeit cards to do so.

"Yes, Master Marik," said one of the rare hunters. Each of them had one copy of the card. One by one, the henchmen tested the forgeries of the card by placing it on the desk that was in the center of the vault, as if they were summoning the monster itself. All of a sudden, there was a very dark presence and an ominous cloud appeared and lightning started flashing. Keren spotted the clouds, as she was just outside of the vault, taking a walk.

'_Hmm...unusual...I could have sworn that it was sunny just moments ago,' _she thought. She heard voices just underground. She decided to go see what Odion and the others were up to. Also, if there was going to be a storm, she didn't want to be out in it. She was deathly afraid of storms. She entered the vault where Odion, Marik, and the other rare hunters were. There was a sight that she didn't expect to see. Rare hunters pretending to summon monsters, and some of them were on the floor, unconscious.

"Greetings, Odion and Marik. What is going on here?"

"I have had my rare hunters reproduce copies of my Winged Dragon of Ra card," answered Marik.

"Oh?" Keren was not sure what to make of that.

"Yes, and as you can see, the rare hunters are testing the duplicates to make sure that they are just as strong as the original, and to determine which one is able to successfully summon it," added Odion.

"I see." Although this cleared up things for the young woman, she was horrified. From what Ishizu told her of the Egyptian God cards, they were very dangerous, and she doubted that the real versions would take kindly to a forgery being played. Based on the few servants lying on the ground, it meant that they were unsuccessful. She had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen if this continued. But she didn't want to risk being punished for questioning Marik's decisions. He would have to learn for himself.

Just as Keren thought, a flash of lightning struck the rare hunter who was testing the card. He screamed in pain and all of his rare cards dropped and were scattered all over the floor. He collapsed, and went into unconsciousness.

Keren was afraid that the lightning would strike her, too. She cuddled close to Odion and laid her head on his chest. At five feet seven inches, she felt slightly petite in his six feet frame. The high ranked rare hunter was a bit surprised by this; he wasn't expecting that maneuver from her since she was usually fairly reserved. He had to admit though, he enjoyed her warmth and was taken by it for a moment, so he didn't try to push her away. In fact, he gave her a small protective embrace. She enjoyed the feeling very much and she, too, was taken away by his warmth and she loved listening to the sound of his beating heart. After awhile, Keren reluctantly pulled away. Though Marik seemed to be preoccupied with watching his servants, she didn't want him to think she was seducing Odion. Both of them would possibly feel of Marik's wrath for that. She still stayed close to her long time male companion, though.

Under normal circumstances, Marik would be enraged if his henchmen did not perform their tasks efficiently, but this time he couldn't be because he knew it was not their fault. All of the accidents simply meant that they were not meant to control an Egyptian God card after all and that only people who had a connection to the ancient scriptures would be successful. However, he thought maybe his henchmen Strings would be able to control one, since he was a mime that only moved when he was controlled. He decided to discontinue with the testing before things got any worse. He still needed his servants after all.

"That will be enough. It appears that most of you were not meant to control the most powerful of the God cards," he said to the rare hunters who were still standing.

"As you wish."

The duel between Joey and Espa continued. Although Joey was ahead of his opponent by nearly 3200 life points, the situation was about to get dire for him. He didn't know how, but he was determined to find some way to get out of this mess.

"It's all over for you, Wheeler! I equip my Jinzo with my magic card, Amplifier!" The equip card raised the android five hundred points so it was now a whopping 2900 attack points. "This card will also give my Jinzo 300 points each turn!"

Joey didn't like this at all. Now Jinzo was even more powerful than before! His Flame Swordsman was in big trouble!

"Jinzo, attack that pathetic swordsman with your Cyber Energy Shock!" The powered up Jinzo shot a blast of black energy that went careening towards the swordsman, hitting and destroying it. The attack made Joey's life points drop to 2900. "You might as well give up now Wheeler. I foresee that things are only going to get worse!"

"Never! I outsmarted your tricks before and I'll do it again!"

The Roba brothers were watching this, and were very happy for him. Mokuba was standing next to them, keeping a sharp eye on the duelist just in case he decided to cheat once again. "You rock! Go, go, go brother!" the brothers cheered.

It was Joey's turn now. _'Come on heart of the cards. Don't fail me now.' _ He drew a card, and was pleased to see that it was Baby Dragon. And he happened to be holding Time Wizard. Awesome. That combo could be his ticket to victory.

"Make your pathetic move so that my Jinzo can finish you off, Wheeler!"

"Gladly! I summon my old friend, Baby Dragon!" A bright orange dragon appeared. It only had 1200 attack points. Espa Roba burst into laughter. The blonde couldn't be serious.

"I don't know whether to attack your Baby Dragon or give it a baby bottle," the self-proclaimed psychic said, still laughing.

"Sure my dragon is just a baby now, but it's possible that my dragon is about to grow up. Because I play my Time Wizard!" A little clock which had time machines and skulls instead of numbers appeared.

This move jogged Rex's memory…and it was not a fond one either. "This is the same trick Wheeler used to defeat me…well it won't work against Roba."

"I get it! You want to try and turn the Baby Dragon into an older dragon. Well, my extrasensory perception is telling me it still wouldn't be enough."

"We'll see about that! Time Wizard, go! Time roulette!" The arrow proceeded to spin round and round. Joey mentally urged for it to land on a time machine and not a skull. If it landed on a skull, the monster was destroyed and half of its attack points would be deducted from the player's life points, which Joey couldn't afford. The arrow proceeded to slow down, and was stopping. Joey was becoming anxious. Once it completely stopped, it landed on a time machine.

"All right!" shouted Joey. The power of the time machine made the dragon evolve into Thousand Dragon, which also doubled the attack points in the process. He waited for the other power of the time machine to take effect, which was rusting the monster and lowering its attack strength. Unfortunately, nothing happened, with the exception of Jinzo's eyes glowing; however, his attack power was unaffected.

Joey couldn't believe it. Something strange was going on. Did Jinzo have another special ability that he didn't know about? "I don't understand. Where's the rust?"

The dino duelist started guffawing uncontrollably. "Some plan, you dork."

"Don't you know anything? Jinzo is made of a special dititanium metal that is guaranteed not to age, rust or corrode for ten thousand years. "

Joey never heard of such a thing in his life. "Dititanium who?"

"If you had done your homework, that would have made you think twice about using that dweeby Time Wizard against any and everybody," laughed Rex.

"That stupid mistake is going to cost you! Go my Jinzo, blast Thousand Dragon into next week!" The android monster shot the cyber energy at the dragon, destroying it. Joey lost 500 more life points. He was now defenseless.

"Ha ha ha!" gloated the ESP duelist. "You're mine, Wheeler! With no monsters to protect you, I predict you'll be finished on my next turn!"

"Please! If you think I'm giving up because of a baldy monster with a tin can hat, you've got another thing coming!"

Vicki was still watching the duel over the internet. Things were looking bad for Joey, much worse than before. She still believed that he had a chance of winning, but he needed a major comeback move. She wasn't sure what she would do if she was in his situation, but she hoped he would figure it out before it was too late.

"Vicki? What's going on with my brother now? Is he still winning?"

Vicki wished he were. She hated to tell Serenity that her brother was losing, but she had to let her know the truth. Perhaps she could find an indirect way to tell her what was going on.

"Well, Espa has managed to turn this duel around and right now seems unstoppable," Vicki answered a bit gravely.

This worried Serenity very much, but she would handle this would dignity. He had made her proud in the past and she was confident that he would do it again. "Oh. But he can still win, right?"

"Oh yes." Her expression grew serious. "However, it will not be easy. He needs more than just the right card. He needs to be reminded that we are with him in spirit, supporting him."

"You got it, Vicki. Let's do it together."

Vicki wondered what Tèa and Tristan were up to at the moment and if they were watching Joey's duel or any of the duels for that matter. Maybe she should give Tèa a call.

Tèa and Tristan had been looking for Yugi and Joey for awhile, and were now sitting on the bench, resting their feet. Tèa was thinking about what Ishizu had said about ancient evil returning. She was so scared for Yugi.

'_Oh I sure hope that Yugi is being careful,' _she thought. All of a sudden an old man's voice yelled behind the teens, "Peek-a-boo, children!" A very familiar old man's voice at that. Mr. Mutou. Tèa was so startled that she jumped about 4 feet high and her head bumped his nose by mistake. Tristan nearly fell off the bench. Mr. Mutou rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Don't scare me like that!" yelled Tèa.

"Yeah, you nearly gave me a heart attack," chimed Tristan.

"Well go easy on me, will you? You could have broken my schnozz."

"Well next time, don't be so sneaky."

Mr. Mutou was about to retort a smart aleck remark when he was interrupted by the ringing of Tèa's cell phone. She wondered who it could be. She took it out of her pocket and answered. "Hello, this is Tèa speaking."

"Hello, lassie, this is Vicki speaking."

"Hiya, Vicki. What's up?"

"Listen, are you and Tristan watching Joey's duel?"

"No, we're not."

"Well, I need you two to find him and give him a message from Serenity and me."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Let him know that we are with him and that he and Serenity will be a team forever."

"I will. Catch up with you later." She hung up. "That was Vicki, you guys. Let's go find Joey." She hoped that he would last long enough for them to deliver the message.

Meanwhile, Joey was trying to figure out a way to defeat Jinzo. He was unsure of what to do, now that his best monster combo hadn't worked. He had to draw the right card soon or else he would be out of the tournament.

"I suggest you throw in the towel now Wheeler! What you're faced with now is just the tip of the iceberg and there's not a card in your pathetic deck that can help!"

Oh, the ranting and raving was becoming tiresome. Joey couldn't wait to shut him up. "You're wrong. As long as I've got my deck, I've got hope. It hasn't let me down in Duelist Kingdom and it won't let me down here."

"Then go ahead and make your move. I can't wait to see what lame move you make next."

"Don't mind if I do." Joey drew a card, which was Scapegoat." _'This card can help with protecting my life points…but I need to find a way to take down his Jinzo, and fast.' _ "I play one card faced down and summon Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode! Try and get me now!"

"You're only stalling, Wheeler! If you think that'll be enough to protect your life points, think again!"

"Bring it on and stop talking about it!"

"Be careful what you ask for. I summon Reflect Bounder to the field in attack mode!" (1700 attack points) This new monster looked rather unusual. It held both hands up and had a mirror in the center of it. Joey had not seen anything like it. "This monster is practically attack proof, so even if you did manage to summon a remotely decent monster, you cannot defeat me. Because this monster will just redirect the attack towards your monster! You're finished!" Just as Espa said, Jinzo's attack points increased by 300 points, so it now had 3200 attack points. "Reflect Bounder, destroy that miniature swordsman!" The swordsman was destroyed, but did not do anything to Joey's life points, as Swordsman of Landstar was in defensive mode. "You're defenseless now! Jinzo, wipe out the rest of Wheeler's life points!"

Joey gave a small grin. "Nice try! I activate my Scapegoat magic card!" Four hair balls that were different colors appeared. They had smiley faces as well.

Espa erupted into a fit of laughter. This guy just couldn't be serious. "You think those fur balls can save you? Well, my Jinzo will take them out one by one. Go my Jinzo, crush one of those fur balls!" Jinzo destroyed one of them, leaving only three. "Make your last move. Your future as a duelist is bleak."

At this point Joey's determination had diminished considerably. Espa had a point. The Scapegoat bought him some time, but not a whole lot of it. He was still determined to win, but what could he do? He was at a loss. _'Maybe I should just give up.' _ He started to put his hand over the deck in order to surrender, that was until he heard a voice calling to him to not give up. It was Tèa, who had come with Tristan and Mr. Mutou. He turned around…he was glad to see them at a time like this.

"Vicki is at the hospital with Serenity, watching this duel over the internet right now. Serenity wants you to know something."

This was interesting. "Huh? What is it?"

Tèa gave Joey the peace sign. "She said that you two are a team forever. She also said that both she and

Vicki are with you all the way, so don't even think about giving up!"

Mr. Mutou decided to add his own words of encouragement as well. "That's right Joey! You can still win! You just have to believe in yourself and in the heart of the cards!"

"Yeah Joey! You can beat him!" cheered Tristan.

Joey was beginning to regain his confidence. He knew that he was blessed to have such good friends. They were always there for him. _'There is no way I'm quitting. Serenity and my friends would not give up on me, and there's no way I'm gonna give up on myself. The only way to win this is to do what Grandpa said and trust the heart of the cards.'_

The ESP duelist was becoming impatient. "So what are you waiting for, Wheeler? Are you going to quit?"

"I don't think so! I never quit!"

Espa was surprised by his opponent's determination. "Then suit yourself. I was only trying to make it easy for you so you wouldn't suffer a painful loss, but if you're a glutton for punishment, who am I to stop you? Now go. I can't wait to see your pathetic grand finale. "

'_Come on deck. I need you to come through for me here,' _thought Joey. This draw would determine the outcome of the duel. He drew a card, which was Roulette Spider. He was delighted. If luck was on his side, it could be his ticket to victory.

"Check this out, Roba! I play the magic card, Roulette Spider!" He set the card in the faced down card slot of his duel disk. The spider attached to Jinzo's head and started dragging him to the center.

Espa was scared out of his wits. What was the creepy crawly doing on his Jinzo's head? "What's that, Wheeler?"

"Playing that card is one of the riskiest moves in duel monsters. It could destroy me, or win the duel for me. After I pay half of my life points, the spider blindfolds Jinzo and drags it to the center of the field. That's when things get interesting." Joey was down to 1200 life points as a result of the cost.

Espa watched as his most powerful monster was now in the center, and a giant spinning table appeared. Just what kind of stunt was Joey trying to pull? He didn't know, but whatever it was, he doubted that it would work. "What is the point of this?"

"You know, for a guy with ESP, you ask a lot of questions. The spider will spin Jinzo around and around like a giant wheel, and when you tell him to stop, it'll destroy any target the arrow points to."

Now Espa was becoming scared. "Any target?" he repeated.

Joey was becoming tired of repeating himself to this nut job. "Open your ears, psycho boy. Any target. It could be you, or me directly, or any of the monsters on the field. Since you have been so busy piling up attack points for Jinzo, whatever it points to will be destroyed instantly. Any final predictions, Mr. ESP?"

For the first time during the duel, Espa was speechless, although he had been vocal before. What if Joey did pull this off? He would say goodbye to the Battle City tournament.

"I see you have none. Roulette Spider, spin now!" Just as Joey ordered the spin, it proceeded to go round and round like a giant wheel, rather fast.

To this day, Rex was still amazed by the risky moves Joey made. It was gutsy, and foolish, too. _'This lame brain is about to risk losing the duel and getting kicked out of the tournament. This move will never work.'_

Espa and the spectators watched as Jinzo was being spun around. Espa was so nervous about this. True, there was a chance that he could still win, if the arrow pointed to his opponent, but that was just it. He couldn't control which target it would be. Once he told it to stop, that was it.

Joey noticed how hesitant Espa was. He decided to tease him a little. "What's the matter? Are you too afraid to tell it to stop?"

'_Hmph. Easy for him to say. With such a lame deck, he has nothing to lose, whereas if I am attacked, I will lose everything.' _ This was the hardest move he ever had to make.

"What's the hold up? If you are so sure you're going to defeat me, make your move already!"

Grrr. Joey kept goading and taunting him. He wasn't sure how much more of it he could take. But then again, he had done enough of it to the blonde. He finally decided that he was ready, no matter what the result. He would just have to hope for the best.

"Jinzo! Stop!" ordered Espa. Jinzo began to slow down. Joey was nervous, too. He hoped that luck was on his side once again. Soon the roulette came to a complete stop. It pointed to Reflect Bounder. Yes! Just what the blonde was hoping for.

Espa, however, was not nearly as thrilled. He knew that it was all over for him.

Jinzo shot its Cyber attack at Reflect Bounder, and just as Espa said, the mirror stopped the attack. He was horrified by this. "No, don't reflect!"

Sadly, calling off the attack did not work. The mirror-like creature sent the blast back at Jinzo. Instantaneously, it was destroyed.

"Now both of your monsters are destroyed! And you're history!" Joey told Espa.

Espa couldn't believe it. Joey's move actually worked. He felt like he was having a nightmare. This just couldn't be real. He was so close. "I had it won. But...you couldn't beat me!" he whined, greatly in denial.

"What do you think just happened? Let me do the math for you, psychic sneak. Your Jinzo was 3200. Subtract Reflect Bounder's 1700 attack points from it and that'll make you lose 1500 life points. And since you only had 840, you know what that means."

Espa was sweating profusely. Joey was right. It was no dream. Sure enough, his life points dropped to zero.

"You're finished. This duel is over!"

"Yeah! You won!" cheered Tèa. In her excitement, she hugged Mr. Mutou tightly. He slightly squirmed in her embrace.

"You're the man! That was great work, Joey!" Tristan congratulated him.

Vicki saw this on the internet. "Hey Serenity, your brother has just won."

Serenity found this very exhilarating. "I just knew it. I knew he'd win."

"So did I." The older girl gave the victory sign.

Espa fell to his knees, still stunned over his defeat. He came so close. His younger brothers were stunned, too. They underestimated Joey, it seemed.

"He beat me!" the ESP duelist sniveled, tears at the corner of his eyes. People in the audience snickered at him.

"What's the matter? Where's your ESP now? You couldn't predict you'd be a loser?" one of the boys taunted.

Espa drowned out the taunting. All he could think about was how he failed his little brothers. Joey walked up to him.

"It was a tough duel. Now fork over your Jinzo and locator card."

"It was bad enough that you took away the duel! Please don't make me give up my most prized card, too! You must really hate me!" Espa was having a tough time fighting his tears.

Joey was not impressed by how much of a baby Espa was being...not to mention a sore loser, too. "Cool your jets. You know the rules. I get to keep your rarest card. Nobody likes to lose, but you have to stand up and face defeat. Even I've lost a couple of duels."

"Please stop! People count on me to win and I just failed them, Wheeler!"

"We all have our reasons for dueling—"Joey proceeded to explain, but he was cut off.

"Stop! You just don't get it, do you? I have to win at all costs! I am not dueling for myself, I'm dueling for my brothers. If my reputation as a loser spreads, they'll be picked on by bullies again."

Despite the outburst, Joey softened a bit. He was beginning to see a side of his opponent that he didn't know was there. "That's not true. I can say that because I am a big brother as well." He extended a hand to Espa. He looked pitiful on his knees. "You need a hand, Roba?" the blonde asked.

The blue haired young man pushed Joey's hand away. "I don't need your pity!"

"Fine! Be that way!" He had no interest in helping someone who didn't appreciate it.

All of a sudden, the radio receiver he had been using fell out of his ear. "Come on, bro! Get up! " a deep voice urged. The sudden voice made Joey jump a mile. He nearly had a heart attack.

"You did a wonderful job. You've fought an awesome duel and you did it without cheating, and for that, we're proud of you," the voice continued.

Espa looked up, and saw his younger brothers standing at the edge of the crowd. They were moved by the fact that he gave it his all. "But I lost," he reminded his brothers.

"So?" countered the oldest of the younger brothers.

"You're not worried about people thinking your brother is a big loser?" Espa asked incredulously.

"No, because in our book, you're a winner."

"You achieved what you did on your own."

That was enough to make Espa snap out of it. He finally stood up. "Well come here and give me a hug!" His younger brothers raced over to him, and gathered together in a group hug.

Joey saw the resemblance between his opponent and the siblings. "So these are the cosmic forces he was talking to. I hope he hands over the cards, too."

Yami was still on the rooftop. He was happy for Joey, too. _'Excellent, work, Joey. You've begun to discover your own path to becoming a True Duelist. _'He left to go find an opponent.

Having calmed down, Espa finally handed over his locator card and Jinzo to Joey. "Here. You deserve it."

Joey took the cards from his opponent."Thank you."

"Look, I'm sorry for cheating and disrespecting you," the blue haired teen apologized.

The blonde's opinion of Espa elevated even more. "No hard feelings."

"Next time we duel, I am playing totally legit. It'll be an honorable duel. No more cheating," Espa promised. He learned a thing or two from battling the Duelist Kingdom runner up.

That sounded very good to Joey. "I'll hold you to that. Until then, smell ya later, Roba brothers." He then thought of something. He and Espa had something in common. "You know something Espa? We're a lot alike."

Espa wasn't expecting to hear that."Huh?"

"Yeah. You've got your brothers, and I've got my sister and my pals. Once we've got someone to stand by us, nobody loses."

"Mmmhmm."

"See you later." Joey left with Tristan, Tèa and Mr. Mutou, who congratulated him along the way for his dueling.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

* * *

The tournament was underway, with duels going on simultaneously, everywhere in Battle City. Two young men were on the Battle City streets, concluding a duel. The guy with grayish blue hair who was sitting on the ground had lost. He handed a locator card and his rarest card to his opponent, who had blonde hair that was in a mullet hairstyle. The blonde guy took a look at the rare card with disdain. It was not powerful enough for him. He decided to make up his own rules regarding the card.

"Hand me the other rare card in your deck right now!" the blonde demanded.

The blue haired boy thought that his opponent was being ungrateful, and was making an unreasonable request. "I know you won. But it is unfair to change the rules. You're not the one running the tournament."

"Your words are spoken like a true loser. The card you gave me is a piece of trash! "

The loser of the duel was becoming frustrated. "But the rules said you only get my one rarest card."

"Well I'm making my own rules. Now give me the two rarest cards in your deck if you know what's good for you!" He yanked on his opponent's shirt in order to make him listen.

The young man was starting to become irritated. "Two cards? Come on."

All of a sudden, the duelists heard someone blow a whistle. It was the Commissioner Mokuba. "Dueling foul!" he yelled.

The blonde young man released his opponent's shirt and looked up. There was a short little boy with long black hair, dressed in a striped shirt and jeans standing a few feet from them. The blonde scowled. This boy might be the commissioner, but he wasn't fazed. "Get lost junior or I'll throttle you just like I'm gonna throttle this loser here."

Mokuba couldn't believe how audacious the guy was being. Boy was being a commissioner even harder than he thought it would be. He didn't show any fear though…that was just what the duelist wanted him to do. "Junior? You've got some nerve referring to me that way. As the commissioner of the Battle City tournament, what I say goes. Do I make myself clear?"

The young man sneered at the runt before him. "Whatever. Now for the last time, get lost if you know what's good for you."

"If you want to be in the tournament, then you'd better do as I say!"

"Or else what?" What could a little kid possibly do to him?

A cold deeper voice answered, "I will have to personally deal with you, you detestable windbag of a duelist."

That deep cold tone sounded very familiar to the belligerent winner of the duel. It could only be one person. He glanced up, and sure enough, it belonged to the host of the tournament—Seto Kaiba. He had an expression on his face that was between a glower and a sneer. But he was only slightly fazed. "Seto Kaiba."

"When you disrespect my brother, you disrespect me as well. Besides, I do not tolerate bullies." The teen ceo placed his briefcase onto the ground, and opened it. "I can see that you have no honor and respect, and I am just the one to teach you."

"Is that so? Well, how's that?"

"I challenge you to a duel, under the condition that you use some of these cards to improve your mediocre deck," answered the former world champion, referring to the cards in his briefcase.

The bully looked at the cards in awe. Not that he would really need them since his deck was better than Kaiba made it out to be, but it wouldn't hurt to give his deck a slight boost. He would love a chance to make Kaiba squirm just as he did to his opponent. He happily chose the cards he most wanted to use and slipped them into his deck.

"All right let's do it," said the bully. "With these cards and my skill, there is no way I'll lose. Watch out Kaiba. I'll make you sorry you meddled in my affairs." He placed the deck into the deck slot of his duel disk.

Kaiba gave a mischievous smile, one so mischievous that it was almost scary. The bully didn't like that look at all.

"I only need one card to teach you a lesson the hard way!" He happened to be holding his Egyptian God card. He didn't bother summoning 3 monsters to sacrifice it, since he was not in an official duel. "I summon Obelisk the Tormentor!" The blue creature towered over the skyscrapers in Domino City. "Attack this snake's life points directly!"

The immensely powerful behemoth emitted a blast from its fist at the bully. "Ahhhhh!" the bully screamed. He had never felt so much power from a duel monster before. The shock from the attack made him drop all of his cards, and he collapsed, too. The wind that blew made the cards scatter even more. Satisfied, Kaiba smugly left with his brother.

The bully's opponent was amazed by the Egyptian God's power, but thought it served the bully right. He had the urge to gloat. "Now who's the loser?"

Mokuba walked alongside his brother with a big smile on his face. If his brother didn't come to his rescue, he didn't know what would have happened. All he knew was that things would have turned ugly as the bully would make good on his threats.

'_No one messes with my brother, especially not when I have an Egyptian God card in my deck,' _thought Kaiba. The bully wasn't worth his time and energy, so he decided to find Yugi, who he considered a worthy opponent. He thought it would be fitting to demonstrate Obelisk's power to his rival so that when they faced each other in a duel, Yugi would know what he was up against and realize that he couldn't win against him.

* * *

Many of Marik's weaker servants were fatally wounded by the lightning blasts from the anger of Ra, so they were going to be off duty for awhile. That meant the plan had to be slightly altered. The healthy rare hunters, including Odion were having a meeting with Marik in his secret hideout. Keren wasn't at this meeting; Marik had sent her to watch over the rare hunters, just to give her something to do. She shuddered at the thought of watching them; she eventually noticed the way they looked at her when she did come to some of the meetings. They were quite hostile stares, making it obvious that they had a strong dislike towards her for some reason. But being the meek person she was, she graciously went to do so. Maybe then they would not see her as a threat whenever they woke up.

"Master Marik, I have some important information for you," Odion told the cornsilk blonde leader.

Marik looked interested. He needed all the info he could get that would help him in his nefarious plans. "And what information is that, Odion?"

"Seto Kaiba has just played the third Egyptian God card in Battle City just moments ago. It looks very powerful."

"It is." So Keren had been telling the truth when she had said Ishizu gave the card to Kaiba and that he indeed was behind this tournament.

"Perhaps the little wench is more useful than I thought," commented one of the other rare hunters. They were talking about Keren as they, too, thought she was not to be trusted.

"That she is. It seems that Odion is doing a wonderful job making sure that she remains cooperative, unlike Ishizu, who is conspiring against me." Marik recalled the incident when he first made the plans to escape the fate he so despised and to get revenge on the pharaoh for bringing such a curse on his family that would cause the death of his father just so he could return. He had managed to retrieve two of the three God cards, but when he went to get the third one, Ishizu had blocked his way and said that he would have to find it if he wanted to carry out the plan so badly.

"Ishizu was a fool to give Kaiba that card," said Marik impetuously. "He has very little understanding of its true strength, and only organized the tournament out of greed. However, his ambitions well send him to his doom."

"Sir, do you want me to send a rare hunter to snatch Obelisk the Tormentor from Kaiba?" asked Odion. He, too, believed that Kaiba's greed would be the end of him one day.

Marik thought about this. He would have loved to seize the third God card, but decided that there were more important matters to deal with—like weakening the pharaoh to make it easier to eliminate him. "No, let Kaiba enjoy his game for awhile longer. Dispatch Arkana to dispose of Yugi Mutou in a duel."

"Yes Master."

* * *

Meanwhile, Vicki was getting ready to leave the hospital to see if she could find Joey. She wanted to watch at least one of his duels. She packed up her laptop.

"Hey Vicki?"

The brunette looked up at her. "Yes, Serenity?"

"Thank you so much for telling me what was going on in my brother's duel. It really meant a lot to me." And she was sure that it was a lot of work to do, too, and she felt a bit bad about that. But it wasn't something that she could help, considering that her eyes had not completely healed for her to take off the bandages yet.

"It was no problem, love. I was glad to do it, and it also gave me an opportunity to get to know you."

Serenity was glad to get to know Vicki, too. She really seemed friendly and easy to talk to, based on the amount of time she spent with the older girl.

"Well I'm off now, lassie. If you want to talk to me, you know my cell phone number."

"All right. Bye for now, Vicki."

"Later." Vicki picked up her laptop case and left the hospital room.

Joey felt pumped from his first win, and was looking for another potential challenge.

"You did such an awesome job in that duel, Joey," Tèa told him.

"You sure showed that cosmic clown," said Tristan.

"You've improved a great deal since I've first taught you," said Mr. Mutou.

"I couldn't have done it without you," responded Joey.

"If you continue to remain strong, the rest of the tournament will be a breeze for you," said Tèa. She also reminded him that he also had to be strong for Serenity, since she needed the strength for when she took off her bandages. She was unsure of herself and often relied on her older brother for strength.

"You're right."

Yami was still on the lookout for another challenge. He took out the Red Eyes Black Dragon card and glanced at it. Yugi's spirit appeared next to Yami and mentally thanked Joey for allowing him to hang onto it. It was the kindest thing Joey had ever done for him when he put someone else's needs in front of his own. There was still a part of Yugi that felt Joey should not have done that.

"Do you think Joey can survive in this tournament without his Red Eyes?" Yugi asked his yami.

"I believe he can. He is an excellent duelist and gets better with every duel he fights," replied Yami. He remembered Joey's wish to prove that he was a true duelist and was confident that by the end of the tournament, he would have proven himself.

Just then, a harlequin dressed in a clown's costume appeared. "Hello, Yugi. We've been expecting you."

Yami was puzzled. Who was the clown? Was he another one of Marik's servants? "Who's we?"

"If you want to know, then you must follow me. Walk straight ahead and into that tent. Declining is not exactly an option. It would be in your best interest to go. It would be rude to keep my master waiting." The harlequin laughed and flipped backwards behind the tree, from whence he was.

It only could be Marik the harlequin was talking about. With that being the case Yami would be walking straight into a trap, but he didn't have any choice in the matter. He was on a mission here. There was only one thing left to do. He proceeded to head towards the tent.

Little did he know Mr. Mutou and Tèa were passing by. Tèa's spirits were uplifted. _'Finally, I've got a chance to watch him duel. ' _ "Hey Yugi! Wait up!" But he couldn't hear her. He entered the tent. Mr. Mutou and Tèa followed, worried that something would happen to him.

Once inside the tent, Yami saw a box on the stage that looked like his Magic Box card. But instead, it read Magic Show. Now he knew that something fishy was going on. The harlequin appeared again.

"Enter here, Yugi. My master awaits your arrival." He disappeared just as quickly as he showed up. Yami cautiously went inside the box, and just as his magic card did with his Dark Magician, he disappeared into it. Tèa and Mr. Mutou arrived just in time to see this.

"Yugi!" the young girl cried out in horror. She didn't want to know what trap he fell into.

"I'm getting too old for this," muttered the elderly man. He wasn't sure how much more of the stress of Yugi's dangerous adventures he would be able to handle.

* * *

The magic box transported Yami into a very small room. Once he stepped out of the box, he spotted a computer. On the screen was information about his dueling credentials…the same info that was shown when he purchased the new duel disk. He hoped that whoever it was who had challenged him didn't take forever to show up. He didn't have time to waste.

"Hacking into Battle City database for Yugi Mutou. Dueling level: level eight. Rarest card: Dark Magician," a female computer voice quipped. Just as she said that, something unexpected happened. The purple outfit that the Dark Magician wore changed into a red one. Also, his complexion, which was originally pale, turned into a medium brown color and his serious expression changed into an evil grin. A hologram of that version of the Dark Magician appeared in front of Yami. The ancient pharaoh was slightly alarmed.

"My Dark Magician!"

The hologram Dark Magician gave an evil chuckle. "I've been waiting for you. You are not worthy of having me in your deck so prepare to lose me forever. You're not the only duelist with my power in their deck Yugi and you're certainly not the best! It's time that you met the true master of the dark magician!" The sinister version of the spell caster pointed his staff at a slightly amused, slightly exasperated Yami.

Yami couldn't help chuckling, though he was a bit annoyed. He knew that his Dark Magician would never betray his trust that way. "All right. Enough of these tricks," he said calmly.

There was more laughter; this one high pitched and girly sounding. The perpetrator revealed himself. He was dressed in a red suit, top hat and also wore a striped mask to cover his face. He happened to be holding a Dark Magician card...one that was designed exactly like the illusion that materialized before Yami. "Welcome Yugi Mutou. I am the illusionist known as Arkana-Rare Hunter number 2. And soon your Dark Magician will be under my control." He chuckled again. "Only one person can understand the true power of the Dark Magician, and you're not one of them."

Yami was growing tired of Arkana's taunting and gloating. "That's enough!"

The illusionist was amused. He decided that it was time for a test, and he wanted to see Yami's dueling skills for himself. "We'll decide which one of us is most worthy to wield the power of the Dark Magician in a duel. The winner will take the loser's Dark Magician."

"I accept your challenge. You must know that when a duelist builds his deck he chooses his favorites from different types of cards. However, sometimes a card can choose a duelist. The true duelist can tap into its power. The two are connected and each is bound by the heart of the cards and the Dark Magician has chosen me." He pulled his Dark Magician from his deck and an illusion of it appeared behind him. He had placed his complete trust in the spellcaster, and in most duels he bailed Yami out of tight spots. There was no way Yami was going to let this lunatic take it.

Arkana admired Yami's determination, but didn't think it would be enough. He had the perfect deck—one that would rival his opponent's. There was too much at stake for him. "Ah, so it's true. The great Yugi Mutou never backs down from a challenge. Well the least I can do is reward you with a grand magic show. I have orders from my superiors to make this show a spectacle."

Yami cocked an eyebrow. He realized that he was one of Marik's other servants, but Arkana made it sound like there were other people he had to please. "Who else are you working for besides Marik?"

"You will find out in due time, Yugi. For now, just worry about me."

Yami gave a frustrated sigh. He didn't intend to put up with this rare hunter keeping secrets.

"This room is a bit cramped, don't you think? Not exactly the ideal dueling arena. There is a slightly more spacious one. Follow me."

Yami followed Arkana to a dueling arena, one that was circular. The two men placed their decks on the table and proceeded to shuffle them. Yami kept a sharp eye on Arkana, knowing how underhanded he had proven to be. "I'm watching you. Don't try any of your underhanded tactics," he said, shuffling Arkana's deck.

"Not to worry. I am way beyond that stage."

Yami still didn't trust the trickster. "Just to be sure, I'll be the one cutting your deck."

Arkana gave a wicked smile. "Of course. You know there's a saying in high rolling and card sharks. Always trust your opponent, but only after _you_ cut their deck."

Yami took one of Arkana's cards and trimmed the edges, then placed it in the middle of the deck. He handed Arkana back his deck and took his. "Here's another. Never trust a masked man."

Arkana feigned hurt at that remark. "I'm offended. When I prove that I am the master of the Dark Magician, you will regret that remark."

"We'll see about that." Arkana and Yami took their places.

"Yes we will. However, the stakes in this duel are higher than you know. See those saws on the side of the ring? If you lose, the saws will slice your legs off."

Yami was horrified. This man was even more ruthless than he imagined. Or maybe not. Only one person could have put him up to this—Marik. "What kind of person would place a gamble on somebody's life? Are you a sadistic madman?"

"No, I am undefeated at my game."

"Not likely. You have met your match, so get ready. It's time for us to duel!"

"For once, I agree. Let the show—I mean duel begin!"

The table lowered into the ground and shackles appear around the young men's ankles, trapping them. Yami didn't like this at all. Now what was Arkana trying to pull? "Explain yourself, Arkana!"

"Calm yourself, Yugi. Both of us are locked in, so neither of us can escape. As you know, those shackles are the least of your worries."

Yami did know, and he didn't like it at all. That meant he would have to win this duel so that he didn't suffer such a twisted fate. What was Arkana thinking going along with this?

Arkana noticed the spiky-haired young man's scowl. It was rather amusing to him and at the same time he felt maybe he should be fair. "But to show you how kind and considerate I am, I will explain the rules to you." He pointed out the chest box that was on either side of them that contained 4000 points on it. "You know that that is?"

It didn't take long for Yami to catch on. It was a dueling set up that was connected to the saws. "Those are life points. The closer the life points get to zero, the closer the saws get to us."

"Exactly right, Yugi. Now look down between your feet."

Yami did so, and saw a box. "What type of box is it?"

"It's a key box that is your only salvation if you are fortunate enough to win this duel. It contains a key that will enable you to unlock the shackles around your legs."

As twisted as the plot sounded, Yami realized that this was the only way to stop him. "All right, enough talk." The two gentlemen drew their five cards. Arkana happened to get his Dark Magician on the first draw. This made him very happy. _'Just as I thought. Yugi was clever, but even he wasn't smart enough to stop my trick. I've manipulated certain cards in my deck. Even though Yugi buried the Dark Magician card deep within my deck, I've trimmed the edges of it to make it slightly smaller than the rest, so it showed up on top when Yugi cut my deck. '_

Yami decided that he would be starting the duel. He had to find a strategy and fast so that he wouldn't fall victim to any more of Arkana's tricks. "I place one card faced down and summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in defense mode!" He ended his turn.

"I'll summon my Legion of Fiend Jester, also in defense mode!" _'Just one more monster and I can sacrifice them so that I can summon my all powerful Dark Magician! I'll show Yugi what being a true master is all about!' _ The illusionist gave an evil grin. Yami didn't care for the looks of it.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be smiling right now." He drew a card. He figured out how to outsmart him. In order to defeat a trickster, he would have to think like one. This meant he would have to be prepared for any trick. Tough job, but if he pulled it off, it would be worth it. "Since I don't trust your hand, I will play a magic card!"

"Don't trust my hand?" Arkana repeated. What was his opponent planning?

"Take this. I play Card Destruction!"

A sweat drop appeared on Arkana's forehead. His confidence was replaced with disappointment. His scheme was ruined! "Not that! My precious hand!"

"I see you know what that means. I suspected that you fixed your first hand, so rather than falling victim to another of your tricks, I decided to have both of us discard our hands so that we can start over with a clean slate." Yami sent every card in his hand to the graveyard and drew the exact same amount he discarded. "Say goodbye to your opening hand."

The trickster reluctantly did so, and drew his five new cards. He was not pleased with having his plans foiled. "You'll pay for that. You just got lucky. Well your luck will run out soon enough, and when I defeat you in this duel and you meet your death, you'll be sorry."

Yami was now the one who was holding the Dark Magician. He had led this crafty rare hunter deep within his trap. "I reveal my faced down card, Brain Control! This card lets me control any of your monsters, like Fiend Jester!" A purplish colored brain grabbed Arkana's Fiend Jester with its outstretched green hands and transferred it to Yami's side of the field.

Arkana cringed. "No! My monster!"

"I'm afraid I'm not done yet. I sacrifice my Magnet Warrior and your Fiend Jester which allows me to summon my ultimate monster. Fear the power of _my _Dark Magician!" (2500 attack points)The spellcaster appeared on the field.

Arkana's annoyance turned to fear. He had no monsters to protect him or any faced down cards on the field to block the attack. He realized how much he underestimated him. He would have to take his game up a few notches very soon.

"When you believe in your deck, you wouldn't need to cheat. You believe in trickery and winning at all costs! Now you'll see what happens when you have faith in your cards and duel honorably! Dark Magician, attack his life points directly!" The wizard swiftly twirled his staff around, and shot a blast at Arkana, taking his life points down to 1500. The saw moved close to him…dangerously close.

"You're one direct attack away from falling victim to your own demented trap," stated Yami.

Arkana didn't seem fazed. Sure, he might have lost more than half of his life points, but he was only toying with Yami and testing his dueling skills. He believed that a true magician never revealed his true scheme until the time was right—namely when his opponent least expected it.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Keren was becoming bored with watching over the injured rare hunters. She didn't know why Marik told her to watch them in the first place, since it was not like they could go anywhere. She wished that she had brought one of her novels with her, which she could not do, as Marik wanted her in the infirmary pronto. Even being present at one of the meetings would be a picnic compared to this. But for some reason the leader of the rare hunters didn't want her at the meeting. Not fair at all.

The young woman wondered what Odion was up to. She hoped that he was not up to mischief. All of a sudden, her cell phone started ringing. She wondered who it could be. She took it out of one of the pockets on her dress and answered. "Hello."

"Hello, Keren," answered a female's slightly fluttery voice.

Only one person she knew had that fluttery voice...Ishizu. She was glad to hear from her. She excused herself from the room and stood just outside it. She didn't want to risk waking up the rare hunters.

"Ishizu! Hello! How are you?"

"I'm doing quite well, thank you. And yourself?"

"To be honest, quite bored out of my mind," answered Keren.

Though Keren couldn't see it, Ishizu nodded knowingly. Her millennium necklace had shown her the vision where the rare hunters were struck by the rage of the fake copies of the Winged Dragon of Ra and Marik ordering her to watch over the fallen rare hunters. She foresaw that the same thing would happen to Odion in the finals. She was dreading it. "Don't lose heart, Keren. Everything will be fine."

"I hope so." Keren wasn't sure how much she could take before she went into a complete depression. "Now enough about me. What have you been up to? How many locator cards have you won thus far?"

"Four locator cards."

"Wonderful! At this rate you'll be the first one qualified for the finals."

"Thank you for your confidence. I should be going now. There are people who wish to explore the museum and you should get back to keeping an eye on the rare hunters."

"All right. Thank you for calling."

"Of course. Take care of yourself now."

"I will. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

It was a good thing that Keren ended the call when she did, because when she went back to the infirmary room, Odion was standing there, looking slightly stern. She wondered how long had he been there. It could not have been too long since she had only stepped out of the room for two minutes at the most. "Odion! What are you doing here?"

"I've come to see if you've noticed any improvement in the rare hunters' condition."

Keren noticed the expression on Odion's face and got the feeling that he was agitated about something. Could it be because of the fact that she left the room? But she wouldn't press him for it unless he was lying to her or something. "No, I haven't. They're still motionless. At least from the whole time that I had been in here."

"Do you suppose it was possible that when you were outside of the room, they briefly regained consciousness?"

'_Oh no...he realizes what I've done. Is he going to inform Marik about this?'_ She started to sweat…something very rare for her to do. She realized that she had better give him an answer. She forced herself to look him in the eye so that he wouldn't think she was lying. "It's possible...but I had only left the room for several minutes and when I just got back in here, they showed no signs of waking up."

"Do you realize that you have disobeyed Master Marik? He specifically ordered you not to leave this room without his permission."

Keren felt trapped. She hated feeling that way since she knew she had no choice in the matter but to leave the room. "I am aware of that…but I received a phone call and I didn't want to risk disturbing anyone."

"I do not want to hear any excuses. However, if it does not happen again, I will not let Master Marik know of this. In the future, you are to efficiently do as you're told. Is that clear?"

Keren wasn't sure what to make of this little lecture. "Yes I do."

"Good." Odion left the infirmary.

Keren stared after him, stunned at how different he was from the man she fell in love with. He was playing the part of the villain, and for what? Just because it would help pacify Marik's wrath? She couldn't help being angry at Marik for causing this change, and feeling annoyed with Odion for not having a bigger backbone. She knew she should understand why he was going to such lengths to remain a loyal servant, but right now she did not care. But to avoid this happening again, she shut off her cell phone. If someone called she would just have to return the call whenever she could.

* * *

Arkana was at a disadvantage with more than half of his life points being wiped out. And he just received a warning from Marik that if he didn't pick up the pace, he would lose more than a chance to win back his lover Catherine…so much more. The warning left him trembling and sweating. The thought of being trapped in the Shadow Realm or his legs getting sliced off was horrifying—more so than not having his lover back. But he was not too worried…he confidently reassured his master that he had led Yami deep within his trap. Yami hadn't even seen it coming.

"You're about to lose this duel, Arkana," warned Yami. "One more attack and you will lose and fall victim to your own trap. If I were you, I would fight the rest of the duel with honor."

Arkana smirked. He thought Yami was a fool for thinking that he believed in playing fair. "I don't think so."

"I have given you a fair warning, but you choose not to heed it. It appears that I'll have to teach you the hard way. "

The illusionist peeked down at the cards in his hands. _'Yugi is going to attack me again with his Dark Magician next turn. I must set a trap to protect myself and turn this duel around.' _And he had just the cards to do it. "I play Mystic Tomato in defense mode!" A pumpkin colored tomato with a wicked smile resembling a jack-o-lantern appeared. "I'll also set one card faced down. That ends my turn."

'_Hmm...a weak defensive monster...he must want me to attack it for some reason, so he can activate his faced down card. It can destroy me, but I must take a risk and wipe out the remainder of his life points.'_

Arkana mentally urged Yami to take the bait. _'I know you want to summon a monster that would be powerful enough to destroy my tomato so you can wipe out my life points. For when you do, I will have a special unpleasant surprise waiting just for you.'_

"Prepare to lose it all, Arkana!" Yami drew a card. It was one that would be enough to defeat his opponent's defensive monster. "I summon Beta the Magic Warrior in attack mode!" The yellow colored magnet warrior appeared. Yami called an attack, but Arkana grinned evilly and activated his trap card, Dark Renewal. Yami looked on helplessly as the brown colored coffin emitted mesmerizing energy. The irresistible energy dragged the magnet warrior into the coffin, and did likewise to his Mystic Tomato.

"I might have had to send one of my monsters to the graveyard but it was well worth the sacrifice because this card allows me to revive a spellcaster that has been destroyed. In that case, my monster."

A thought suddenly occurred to Yami. He realized that Arkana's Dark Magician was among the cards that he made the illusionist discard when he played his Card Destruction magic card. "You want your Dark Magician back."

"Very impressive of you to figure it out, Yugi." His Dark Magician emerged from the coffin. The spellcaster monster had a very sinister grin on his face, which the one-time pharaoh found very unsettling.

"You have your wish. It's Dark Magician versus Dark Magician. Now we can see which one of us is the real master."

Arkana smiled at his opponent's cleverness. "Exactly right, Yugi. But as you know, our monsters' attack points are identical so merely attacking won't be enough. We will have to think strategically."

"I am well aware of that, Arkana."

"I cannot wait to see what your strategy will be. You will need a foolproof scheme if you have any hopes of defeating me."

"You'll soon find out. I place two cards faced down. "

'_This duel will have more twists than he knows. I will match him move for move.' _ "I'll set two cards faced down as well. What do you have planned next?"

"I'll show you." The ancient spirit didn't know why Arkana was copying his moves, but it wasn't worth making a scene over. "I'll place one more card faced down."

"Likewise." Arkana placed a third card faced down in the magic/trap slot of his duel disk, just as Yami did.

"I'll place my last."

"As will I."

Both players had four cards faced down and one Dark Magician on the field. "It is time to see which one of us has the best strategy."

"Just as promised, I will show you what makes a true master of the Dark Magician."

"Not likely. I reveal my magic card, Mystical Guillotine!" Chains appeared from the decapitating machine towards the spellcaster monster. Yami, knowing what the magic card did was horrified. He was not going to allow his most trusted monster to fall so easily. He had to find a way to counter the card.

"Say goodbye to your favorite monster, Yugi!" Arkana laughed his feminine laugh as the chains shackled the Dark Magician's ankles and wrists and pulled to him where the blade could slice his head off.

"My Dark Magician! No!" Yami cried out in alarm.

"Just as I thought. Your strategy is no match for mine! Watch as my all-powerful magic card beheads your Dark Magician!"

Just as the platform was about to fall on the Dark Magician's head, Yami activated a magic card of his own, Magical Hats, hiding his Dark Magician. However, one of the empty hats was destroyed by the blade of the guillotine. "Now you will have to find my Dark Magician to attack him."

Arkana laughed again. "Good move Yugi. However, I am one step ahead of you! I activate my faced down card, Thousand Knives! This will allow me to find your Dark Magician and destroy it!" The glowing daggers covered Dark Magician and he took one of them and threw it like an arrow at the hat that contained Yugi's Dark Magician. Yami used his De-Spell magic card to negate the effects of both magic cards on the field. Yugi's Dark Magician was back on the field, unharmed.

"Dark Magician, attack with Dark Magic now!" the two men simultaneously belted out. Because both Dark Magicians had equal attack points the match ended in a draw. After that, both duelists resurrected Dark Magician with their Monster Reborn magic cards, bringing them back to where they started.

"I am warning you, unlock our shackles and finish this duel with honor or else you will regret it. There is still time."

"With honor?" scoffed the illusionist. "And spoil the fun? Never!"

Yami sighed. His opponent was so stubborn. Getting through to him was like pulling teeth. But he had to know who put him up to such a plot. "Have it your way. But answer this. Why did you lead me down here, Arkana? And why did you force me into a duel where the loser gets his legs sliced off?"

Arkana almost laughed. Again with the questioning. "I am simply following my master's orders."

Yami was becoming annoyed with Arkana's beating around the bush. "Enough secrets, Arkana. Tell me who put you up to this."

Arkana could see that Yami was not going to accept any vague answers. He decided that it wouldn't hurt to tell him why he was really fighting this duel, since he had just about figured out how to bring about his opponent's destruction. "Look at my face," he said, taking off his mask. That was something he hasn't done in a long time, but he saw it fitting to make an exception in this case. Yami gasped when he saw the disfiguring scar on his opponent's face. He wondered what could have happened to him.

Arkana began to explain about how he used to be a famous illusionist since Harry Houdini. He recalled the time he thought things couldn't get any better…he had money, fame and the love of his life, who was also his assistant when he performed the tricks, Catherine. During a routine escape trick which he had done flawlessly many times, there was a freak accident which involved the magic box that Arkana was in being exploded. He had managed to escape the brunt of the explosion but he was severely wounded and disfigured in the explosion.

"And if that wasn't bad enough, I also lost Catherine's love," the illusion finished. "I felt like I had nothing left. So during a hospital visit, I drove her away. I didn't want her to see me in such a state. What I didn't realize was that she loved me unconditionally and she would stand by me no matter what. By the time I came to realize my mistake, she was gone. I thought that all was lost until I met the one person who brightened my day-Marik. "Arkana put his mask back on. "Master Marik made me an offer, saying that if I can defeat you in a duel, he will help me win back Catherine with his millennium rod. So you see, Yugi, I have nothing against you at all. It's just that I owe it to Master Marik to assist him in exchange for giving me that glimmer of hope."

Yami had absorbed the entire story. In truth, he thought it was such a sad thing that no one should have to go through, and for that, he felt very sorry for Arkana. But to compromise his integrity just to be reunited with his lost love…? He expected more from him.

"Working for Marik will only bring you more pain and suffering, Arkana," warned the ancient spirit. "Marik cares about no one except himself, and he will do and say anything to get what he wants. If you really love Catherine that much, you should have faith in her and trust what's inside your heart."

Arkana thought Yami sounded so naïve. He had become extremely cynical ever since the accident and his heart had grown rather cold. "You know nothing about how the world operates, Yugi. You are only a child. The world is a cruel place and there are only a few people you can trust. But I do trust Marik to reunite me with my fiancée. My life has made a turn for the better since meeting him. He's a man of honor, Yugi. You shouldn't be so quick to judge people." He signaled for the door to open, and behind the door was a silhouette of a young woman sitting in a chair behind the curtain. "See? There she is waiting, just like Marik promised. Catherine, just give me some time to kill Yugi, then we will be together forever."

Marik...honorable? Yami was in total disbelief. Someone who was making him do evil just so he could have his loved one back was anything but honorable, in his book. Not to mention that his own life would be in danger if he failed. He was going to be straightforward with Arkana.

"You are a fool to trust in him," Yami told the illusionist bluntly. "Instead you should be putting your trust in yourself, your dueling deck and in the heart of your lost love. You rely on tricks to win, and that will be your undoing."

"They're just cards, Yugi, and nothing more."

"That is your problem. They're not _just _cards. I duel with my heart and that is something you would know nothing about."

"You talk about having faith in your Duel Monsters deck and that will be your downfall. I knew that you would depend on your Dark Magician to bail you out of a tough spot. Well, not for much longer. I built the perfect deck that would take your Dark Magician away from you."

"This duel is far from over, Arkana. So I wouldn't get too confident if I were you. Now make your move."

"With pleasure." He placed one card faced down, and ended his turn."Make your final pathetic move."

"I won't lose." Yami drew one card, and thought that it would be able to foil whatever his devious opponent was planning. "I place two cards faced down. " He ended his turn.

"I see you're still desperate to stop me. Well, as valiant as your effort was, it's been in vain. I activate my magic card, Beckon to the Dark!" An orange claw reached out from the center of the card and grabbed the magician, intending to send him to the graveyard.

"I don't think so!" Yami played a quick play trap card of his own, Mystical Rift Panel, which would destroy the evil of the magic card, leaving the spellcaster unharmed. With that, the orange hand released its hold of the Dark Magician.

"Smart move, but not smart enough! I knew you would try that move, desperate to stop me, and I was prepared. So I play my trap card, Nightmare Steel Chains!" Chains elongated towards the spellcaster, binding him and tying him to a cross. "Now your Dark Magician will be out of play, ensuring my victory."

Yami was in such a bind, knowing that his Dark Magician was trapped. He was wide open to a direct attack. He would just have to hope for the best and find a way to save his magician before it was too late.

"With your Dark Magician out of play, you've no monsters to protect you. Brace yourself, because you know what is in store for you," continued Arkana. "All right, my Dark Magician…attack Yugi's life points directly!"

With a wicked grin, the cocoa skin-colored spellcaster shot dark magic at Yami from his scepter, and Yami screamed in pain as the dark energy surged through him. He hoped that one of his faced down cards would be able to help. He couldn't survive another direct attack.

"Fortunately that's enough punishment for now. Let's see you try to get out of this, if you can."

"Don't mind if I do." Yami drew a card, thinking that while it may not be enough to destroy Arkana's Dark Magician, it would be enough to protect his life points. "First I play Big Shield Gardna in defense mode. Then I'll activate one of my faced down cards, Mystic Box!"

Arkana was flabbergasted. _'What is Yugi up to now?' _ he wondered.

The Mystic Box materialized next to the cross that Yugi's Dark Magician was chained to and the magician disappeared inside the magical box. A barrage of swords rained from the sky, into the holes of the box.

Arkana was speechless. Had Yugi lost his mind? Why would he destroy his own monster? What kind of stunt was this? He was shocked when another box materialized and the one with the swords opened, only to reveal that it was the Nightmare Steel Chains card that was skewered. Out of the other box came an unscathed Dark Magician. The now freed magician flipped back onto Yugi's side of the field. "I switch my Dark Magician into defense mode as well. That ends my turn."

For a moment Arkana was stunned that Yugi had managed to free the Dark Magician. _'If only I had seen the Magic Box trick coming…then I would have easily been able to counter it.' _His shocked look turned into a smirk. '_Well, no matter. He won't be able to escape my tricks forever.'_ "I see you rescued your Dark Magician from my trap."

Yami smiled. "That's right and now he is guarding my life points along with my Big Shield Gardna," he said smugly.

"Not for long. It was quite impressive of you to figure out a way to counter my trap card, but that doesn't guarantee your victory. Remember, I am the master of all Dark Magicians."

Yami was becoming annoyed with all the ranting and raving. "Enough talk, Arkana. Make your move."

"With pleasure. This is the move that will bring me closer to victory. Let's just say that Master Marik will be pleased. You on the other hand, probably won't be."

"Just play it."

"Very well. I summon the Doll of Demise! (1600 attack points)" A little elfish doll appeared on the field, giving a high pitched evil laugh. "I also play Ectoplasmer! If you do not know what it does, allow me to explain. Ectoplasmer is a magic card that drains the soul of any monster I choose and fires the extracted ectoplasm at my opponent, which in this case, is you."

Yami's eyes narrowed in disbelief. He couldn't believe his ears. "What? If you turn your monsters into hollow shells, they will be of no use."

"Ha. That's of no concern to me! Once I've defeated you, they'll no longer be of any use to me." Arkana's Dark Magician's evil grin faltered when he heard that. He didn't appreciate being used as a mindless puppet one bit. He hoped that Yugi would win so that Yugi would be his master from now on.

Yami gasped. "You can't be serious!"

"I haven't been more serious! Ectoplasmer, drain the soul of my doll and attack Yugi!" The soul of the Doll of Demise passed through the Big Shield Gardna and blasted Yami, draining half of the doll's attack points from his life points. The ancient spirit grunted in pain, and watched as the saw came even closer. Now it was dangerously close. He wouldn't be able to survive another attack like that.

Arkana feigned pity. "You're one attack away from defeat, Yugi. You've played very well, I'll give you that much. But do you know why your Dark Magician will not win this duel for you? You're too soft."

Yami only growled in response. He was becoming fed up with listening to Arkana's nonsense.

"In battle, servants respond best to fear," Arkana continued, "you have to make sure that they are afraid of you. You will never command their respect through kindness and trust. Just remember what I did to your favorite monster a couple of turns ago, even though you were lucky enough to rescue him. You are the master, your monsters are the servants, and they should ensure victory for you, even if it means destroying them."

"You're very sick and ruthless." To him, Arkana sounded just like the typical evil master that used minions as objects to gain power. Boy did working for Marik really did a number on his state of mind.

Arkana ignored that comment. "My Dark Magician knows that I am his master. He is nothing but my pawn." His Dark Magician glared evilly at him. Of course Arkana was oblivious to the fact that his comments were angering his Dark Magician.

"Stop this duel now. It has gone too far," said Yami.

"I don't think so. Not when I'm about to win. Say goodbye to the rest of your life points!" He drained the soul of his Dark Magician using Ectoplasmer. If successful, this move would deplete the remainder of Yugi's life points to zero. However, something unexpected happened. Yugi's Dark Magician proceeded to glow, and his soul drained, clashing with the soul of Arkana's Dark Magician, thus blocking the attack.

"My Dark Magician!" Yami shouted as he saw his Dark Magician disappear, along with Arkana's. Even though his Dark Magician was gone, his life points remained untouched. It was almost as if his Dark Magician had protected him.

Arkana was so shocked. He had told the Ectoplasmer to drain _his _Dark Magician, not the other way around. "It can't be! I was so close! How is it that the soul of your Dark Magician was drained as well?"

"It's simple. You were so busy disrespecting your cards that you've failed to learn to use them properly. While it is true that the Ectoplasmer drains your monster's soul and fires the energy at your opponent, what you haven't taken into account is that when there's more than one of the same monster on the field, Ectoplasmer affects them all in the same way. So my Dark Magician was drained of his soul also, cancelling out your attack, Arkana," Yami explained.

Arkana just shrugged it off. "So you managed to block another attack, but your Dark Magician was a fool to sacrifice himself to protect you! As a result of that fatal mistake, you are once again defenseless. Just one more attack and you will be sent to oblivion!" He gave a sinister laugh.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

* * *

Yami had been bought some time when his Dark Magician protected him from Arkana's trap, but not a whole lot of it. Good thing was that he wasn't the only one wide open, but Arkana was, too. So if he could make it through this next turn, he would be able to find a way to wipe out Arkana's life points. But he would have to come up with a plan quickly.

"You've evaded my last trap, but this next turn, you will not be so lucky. You're only one attack away from facing an early grave!" Arkana taunted.

"Never! You've already lost by putting your trust in a scoundrel like Marik. Do you honestly believe that if you defeat me, he will reunite you with your lost love, Catherine? If so, then you're more of a fool than I thought."

The lecture made Arkana cringe a bit. He was still determined to prove that he was right. With a flick of his hand, he once again signaled for the door to open. "My sweet Catherine, don't listen to a word he says. He's just using his disrespect for Marik to try and destroy whatever hope we have of being together again. Just give me a few minutes, and I will silence him forever."

Yami sighed. Arkana sure was hopeless. He was so blinded by his loyalty to Marik that his mind was clouded and he no longer recognized when someone was only looking out for his best interest…good advice from bad. "Arkana! Why don't you be reasonable for once and get rid of the trap while you still can?"

'_This fool will never learn.' _ "And ruin all of the fun? Not when I've come this far. It's too late to turn back now. I play one monster faced down. "

'_He has no monsters on the field. Perfect. That means that if I can summon a monster strong enough, I can wipe out his life points and win this duel.'_ Yami drew a card, and summoned Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode.

'_Ha. Yugi is so predictable. I knew he would make that move.'_ "I activate my faced down card, Shadow Balance! " A large scale with spikes scooped up the two monsters on Yugi's side of the field. "This card makes the number of monsters you have on the field equal to the amount I have. And since I don't have any monsters on the field at the moment that means you don't either!" The open scale closed, squishing the monsters to death.

Arkana gave an evil chuckle. "And now the time has come to show you why I am the master of all the Dark Magicians."

Yami was not about to boost the illusionist's already overinflated ego. "Do not elevate yourself, Arkana. If you were a true master, then why did you treat your Dark Magician as cannon fodder? You disrespect your monsters and rely on tricks to win. And for that, I will punish you!"

"Please. You're just jealous because I am the one with the advantage, with the deck that consists of the power and magic I need to counteract your strengths. But then again, I don't blame you. The grand finale is so close that I can practically taste it." He licked his lips.

Yami was so nauseated by Arkana's antics. "That's enough!"

"Getting irritated, are we? You know, you really ought to learn to lighten up."

"Arkanaaa," Yami warned. He wanted the illusionist to just make his move already, and quit with the taunting.

"Relax. I will put you out of your misery right now." He drew a card, and gave an evil grin. _'This was just the card I needed to win the duel. Yugi...you're finished.' _

Yami did not like the look of the smirk on Arkana's face. It was the one he wore when he was up to something devious. He wondered what could be in store for him. He hoped that whatever it was, the last faced down card would be able to help.

"In my hand I hold the ticket to your destruction, Little Yugi. You think you're more of a Dark Magician master than I am? Well here's a rhetorical question for you. What kind of master would have only one Dark Magician in his deck?"

"What are you saying? Do you have another Dark Magician in your deck?"

"Very perceptive, Yugi. My first one may have been destroyed, but he served his purpose. There is another one, waiting to finish the job my first one couldn't complete. You know Yugi, if you had another one as well, perhaps you would have stood a chance." He feigned pity.

Yami would generally think that was a bluff, since Arkana didn't even have any monsters on the field and Dark Magician required a sacrifice of two monsters, but considering all of the tricks the one-time stuntman had been pulling the entire duel, he would not be too surprised if he played some card that would enable him to summon it to the field right away. His faced down card was his only hope.

Arkana peered onto his opponent's side of the field and noticed that there was still one more faced down card. He had to get the card off the field somehow or else it could put a damper on his strategy and he couldn't have that. And he had just the card to do it.

"First order of business is to get rid of that faced down card, just in case you were counting on it to stop me! I activate my Anti-Magic Arrow magic card! Say goodbye to your last hope. Seek and destroy, my arrows!" Yami looked on helplessly as he watched the arrows fly through the air like a geyser and strike his final faced down card. He wasn't sure if he would be able to evade any more of Arkana's traps. He would be sawed in half for sure.

"I'm afraid it only gets worse. Next, I play my magic card, Dark Magic Curtain! "A maroon colored curtain with a very creepy looking white skeleton appeared. This skeleton had a wicked grin and had its hands on the side of an orb that had the symbol of the Spell Binding Circle. This lets me summon my Dark Magician without making a sacrifice, as long as I give up half of my life points." Arkana was down to 750 life points as a result of the tribute. Another Dark Magician came out from behind the curtain, his grin more wicked than ever before.

"With nothing on the field to protect you, your defeat is guaranteed, Yugi! Go my Dark Magician! Wipe out the rest of his life points!" Smiling evilly like a maniac, the brown skinned magician prepared to attack. Yami braced himself for the attack and the unpleasant sentence that came with his defeat. But something happened. The curtain blocked the magician from attacking by appearing on his side if the field. He relaxed, feeling relieved. "I don't think so, Arkana!"

Arkana couldn't believe what he was seeing. How could it be that Yugi had managed to thwart yet another one of his attempts to defeat him? Why couldn't he ever win? "What's this? My card is working for you?"

"Yes," answered Yami, grinning. "You really should brush up on the cards in your dueling deck. The Dark Magic Curtain's summoning power is equal to both sides on the playing field, and that means that I can drain half of my life points for a monster as well." Yami was down to 350 life points as a result. "Just like you, I will summon another Dark Magician."

Arkana wondered what Yami was talking about, and thought he was bluffing. "What? I was told you only had one Dark Magician in your deck. Is this a joke?"

Yami ignored that last question. He found it so sad that Arkana reveled in his trickery so much that he thought those he came in contact with were also deceitful. "You are partially right, but mostly misinformed."

Arkana was finding it so hard to keep up with his rival, it was so frustrating. "Stop speaking in riddles!"

"The card I now hold in my hand is a different variety of Dark Magician, and at this point it is even more powerful than yours!"

"You lie! There is no such thing! It can't be!"

"Oh, but it can. Say hello to Dark Magician _Girl!" _ The new magician appeared onto the field sighing cheerfully. She was just like the male counterpart except that she was shorter, dressed in baby blue and pink, and her hair was blonde.

Arkana's jaw dropped open slightly. So Yami wasn't lying about having a female Dark Magician. "It's true! A female Dark Magician exists! But you're wrong but one thing, though. She only has 2000 attack points so she's no match for my Dark Magician. That grave miscalculation will cost you the duel. Dark Magician, attack Dark Magician Girl!"

Yami was not too worried, as he knew something about the Dark Magician girl that Arkana didn't know. There happened to be a pink aura surrounding the female magician, one that symbolized a hidden power. Even so, the spellcaster attacked, and there was a big explosion of dark magic.

"Ha! Your Dark Magician Girl is defeated! I am the victor!"

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. Take another look, Arkana," said Yami, pointing out to where the explosion was clearing up. There stood the Dark Magician Girl, unharmed.

Arkana did just as Yami said, and was dismayed not only about the attack having no effect on Dark Magician girl, but the fact that his own Dark Magician was dissipating. "How could it be that my Dark Magician has been destroyed when he is much stronger than your female Dark Magician?"

"The Dark Magician Girl receives 300 points from every Dark Magician that's inside the card graveyard, Arkana. This made her strong enough to defeat your Dark Magician," Yami explained a bit tensely.

"A hidden power?" Now that was news to the illusionist. He didn't want to admit it, but he did not know as much about Dark Magicians as he thought. There was still one more thing that puzzled him. "There is only one Dark Magician in your graveyard, so it's still not adding up. Even with the power boost your new girlfriend should only have 2300 attack points. How in the hell would she be able to defeat my Dark Magician when he is 200 points stronger?"

Yami sighed. It never ceased to amaze him that underneath the façade of the "know-it-all" attitude, Arkana was really clueless. "The answer is right in front of you. You sent your first Dark Magician to the graveyard, or don't you remember?"

Arkana grimaced a bit, mainly because he couldn't argue. "It's true I did destroy my first one. But why would the power of _my _Dark Magician be reborn in your monster?"

Boy was the illusionist dense for someone who acted like he knew it all. But Yami decided to explain it anyway. "Dark Magician Girl receives 300 points from _every _Dark Magician in the graveyard, whether it is mine or yours. So when you destroyed your first one, you helped strengthen my Dark Magician with the necessary power."

Arkana didn't know what to say to that.

"You've been doing a lot of talking about your grand finale, but now _I _am the one who's on the road to victory! I hope you're prepared to face defeat!" proclaimed the ancient spirit.

Arkana finally realized why Yami was trying to convince him to stop the duel and he regretted setting up such a duel. He was struggling to get out of the shackles. "Someone please help me!" he wailed.

Yami ordered the female spellcaster to attack, and she shot a blast of pinkish dark energy. Arkana screamed at the top of his lungs as his life points dropped to zero.

"Let your defeat be a warning to not misuse your cards in the future. You've lost," said Yami.

* * *

In the mean time, Mr. Mutou and Tèa were able to track down Yugi's whereabouts thanks to Mokuba's help. All three of them were running to the basement frantically, desperately hoping that they were not too late.

While they were running, they spotted Vicki on a motorbike, which she found easier than walking for long amounts of time. She slowed down and came to a stop.

"Hey Vicki," greeted Tèa.

"Hello there, you guys. Why are you in such a hurry? Something wrong?"

Tèa explained that Yugi had walked into a tent and disappeared a couple of hours ago. "We were afraid that something happened to him, but Mokuba here found out where he was from Kaiba," she finished off. "By the way, Mokuba is Kaiba's little brother."

Vicki thought it was good news that Yugi was found. Then she shot a glance at Mokuba. She could see in his eyes that he was kinder than his older brother, whom she never actually met but had a bad taste in her mouth, and felt slightly nauseated after the few times she listened to his "welcoming" speeches. She could tell she was going to get along with this kid much better. She gave a slight nod. "Well nice to meet you, lad."

The younger Kaiba liked the older girl's slight Scottish accent. "Likewise. Anyway, we don't have time for chatting. We have to hurry."

"Right. Just show me where he is."

Arkana was in absolute shock, in great denial. It was like a day nightmare before him. He never lost a duel even without his illusions. He dropped all of his cards in his shock. Now not only did he lose a chance to be with his fiancée once more, but his master would be furious. He had made it very clear that he would not tolerate failure. This just couldn't be true.

"You call yourself a Dark Magician master? It was your disrespect and your misuse of your own Dark Magician that caused you to lose this duel, Arkana."

Arkana was still in denial about his loss, and he definitely was not in a mood to hear any more lecturing about respect. "There's no way you could have defeated me, Yugi! I am the greatest magician the world has ever known! You're nothing, Yugi!"

Yami was unfazed by Arkana's hissy fit. It seemed like he didn't know how to open his eyes to the truth. "How sad that even after your defeat, this duel has taught you nothing. And for that, I am very sorry for you."

At that very moment, his box showed Arkana's remaining life points dropping to zero and it opened to reveal the key and a locator card. Also, he saw moved very close to Arkana. Yami retrieved the key and the locator card. Now he had three locator cards altogether. He unlocked the shackles around his ankles, and wandered over to Arkana, to where the cards were scattered all over the floor.

"Just as the deal was, the winner will take the loser's Dark Magician. So I will be taking your Dark Magician. You won't need both of them anymore," said Yami, kneeling down to claim his prize from the mess. He looked through all of the cards until he found it and when he did, he grabbed and glanced at the card for awhile. _'I apologize for the abuse you suffered under your previous master. Rest assured that you will not get hurt under my control,' _he thought. He slipped the new Dark Magician card in his deck.

Meanwhile, Mokuba, Vicki, Mr. Mutou and Tèa were running down the stairs in the building. Vicki had parked her bike outside and locked it so that no one would steal it. Inside looked so creepy, and void to Tèa.

"Mokuba, thank you for helping us find Yugi," said Vicki.

"No problem at all," answered the little boy. He continued to lead his companions to where his older brother's satellite tracked Yugi down, and finally came outside a room. They heard loud humming inside. Mokuba tried to open the door, but it was bolted shut. Tèa and Mr. Mutou started banging on the door loudly. "Yugi!" Vicki yelled loudly through the door.

Inside, Yami was glaring at his opponent, still angry at him for putting him through this type of duel and refusing to listen when he persuaded him to end it. Arkana, on the other hand, was a total wreck as he realized that the saw was dangerously close to him and the blade of it happened to be touching his skin. How did this happen? He was so close. Had his opponent been right about everything all along? No, he wouldn't admit it that easily.

"Aaaah! Please help me!" wailed the illusionist. Then he remembered something. He had a spare key hidden up his sleeve just in case something like this happened. _'After all, a true magician always has a backup plan,' _he thought to himself, grinning evilly. He retrieved the key from his sleeve, and prepared to use it to unlock the shackles around _his_ ankles. But as he prepared to free himself, his hand froze. What was going on here? "What is this? I can't move my hand! I can't move my hand!" he cried fearfully. Then he proceeded to glow and he heard a familiar angry sounding voice, calling his name. It was Marik, who was obviously very angry about his failure.

"Master Marik?" he answered in an inaudible voice. He was trying his best to suppress his fear but he wasn't sure it was working.

"You didn't hold up your end of the bargain. So prepare for your punishment!" he said in an angry, sadistic kind of way.

This was Arkana's chance to sweet talk his master, even though he knew it was hopeless when his master was this angry. But he had given it his all, so he decided to try anyway. "Please spare me from the Shadow Realm!"

Marik wasn't hearing that. "No! And I'm coming for you next, little Yugi! Ha ha ha!"

"Please Master Marik! Please give me another chance and save me!" he screamed as he could feel the blade slitting his ankle.

Marik was so amused by this. For someone who was such a daring magician before, he could be so pathetic when he was in trouble. "Where's your magic now, fool?" he sneered.

Arkana's ankle started to bleed heavily and that was followed by searing pain. There was also a tear in the bottom of his pant leg. But he was less concerned about the wound and more concerned about whether he would be able to get out of this alive so that he could forget about this failure and move on. He was relieved when he was able to move his hand again...but then the key he was holding disappeared for a moment and then reappeared. Even worse, he was unable to see the key anymore. This horrified him, since he had perfect eyesight. "What happened to the key? I just had the key and now it's gone!"

His master chuckled cruelly. "Is your brain playing tricks on you?" he taunted. "Or have you just lost control of your feeble little mind? That key in your hand doesn't really exist!"

Yami let Yugi take control. Yugi noticed how deep Arkana's wound was and that the blade was about to slice even deeper. A little bit more and he would lose that foot. _'I must save him,' _thought the spiky haired teenage boy. Though he was uneasy by all of that blood, he decided to brave it since it was such a dire situation. Fueled by adrenaline, Yugi quickly dashed over to Arkana, took the key from him, unlocked the shackles and pushed him away from the saw.

"Not even a cheat like you deserves death or to go to the Shadow Realm," he said. In spite of this whole mess Arkana dragged him into, he still felt sorry for him. Forgiving easily was both his strong and weak point.

By this point Arkana was weak from all the blood loss and of course, running to his lost love was out of the question. He figured maybe she would come over to him if she were the real Catherine. He collapsed and passed out.

Noting that Arkana was in bad shape, Yugi knew that he needed help badly. But the question was how? He could call an ambulance, but he didn't have a first aid kit or anything to stop the bleeding while he waited.

"Hang on, Arkana. I'll get help for you," he reassured the illusionist, holding him up.

Unexpectedly, Arkana's eyes shot open and the millennium symbol appeared on his forehead and he sat up so Yugi no longer had a grip on him. "Ha! Arkana is gone!"

Yugi realized that it was Marik again…he was the only one who was capable of making a mind puppet have the distinctive electronic sounding voice.

"We meet again Little Yugi. I'm sure you remember who I am so there's no need for me to reintroduce myself."

Yugi glowered at the mind controlled Arkana. "Show yourself to me, you coward!"

Marik seemingly chuckled at such a demand. No way was he going to risk blowing his cover now. "I will show myself when the time is right. No later, no sooner. You will see me when I am ready to take what I want, and I am sure that from our last encounter, you are aware of what I want. The unlimited power of the ancient ruler himself."

"Tell me why you want Yami's power so badly! Answer me!"

"Because someone as evil as Yami is not worthy of that power! Once I have that power I will be unstoppable and it will be time for me to show what being a worthy king is all about. No one will stand in my way. Especially not you. "

"Oh yeah? Well, that's what you think!"

"Listen to me. My family has slaved for centuries, protecting the pharaoh's tomb until his return, and teaching me to obey the ancient scriptures. And for what? When I become the pharaoh, I will be free of such a curse! "

"What curse is this you speak of?"

"That does not concern you at this point. All you need to know is that only an evil pharaoh would bestow curses."

Yugi didn't know what Marik was talking about, but whatever had happened, it still did not justify the means. "No matter what happened, you will not get the pharaoh's power and I'll make sure of it. That power belongs to Yami, not you!"

"Ha! We'll see about that, Little Yugi. You are nothing but a vessel for the pharaoh. You could never understand his strength. Nor can you stand in my way of getting it. Neither you nor Yami are a match for my superior skills. You see for as long as I can remember, I was raised on the ancient scriptures and I know everything there is to know about King Yami and the Shadow Games. The key to his powers are the millennium items and the 3 Egyptian God cards. And after years of enduring misery, I realize that it is time to use that knowledge to show you true power!"

Yugi really wished that he knew more about Yami's past, as history was repeating itself, and the knowledge would make it that much more easier to help Yami stop Marik.

Marik continued with his tirade. "It's only a matter of time you see, until I take what I deserve. I do realize that I cannot just take the powers. According to the scriptures, I have to defeat you in a duel. And after that defeat, I will dispose of you and the pharaoh."

"But why would you do that?" asked Yugi, confused.

"To make sure that you don't try to oppose me!" answered Marik. "After I take care of you and the pharaoh, I will be the king. And a much more worthy king than your counterpart Yami. He does not even know how to harness the great powers that lie dormant within him, whereas I know how to take them from him. And my millennium rod and my 2 Egyptian God cards will help me to accomplish this task. I know where to find the third card and the rare hunters will bring that card to me. It is all I need to be completely unstoppable!"

Yugi thought this scheme was absolutely deplorable and there was only so much he could do to stop Marik with limited knowledge of the past. But what he could do was stay connected to Yami and have faith that his deck would aid him, like he always did. "Marik, you will never defeat me in a duel so you won't get your greedy hands on the pharaoh's power!"

"I promise you, Yugi, by the sands of time, you will meet your demise. Until then, beware of my rare hunter the Quiet One. He is waiting to defeat you, and he has an Egyptian God card."

Yugi knew very little of the Egyptian God cards, but based on Marik's description of them, they sounded immensely powerful. But he was determined to find a weakness in them. "Who is the Quiet One? And what's the name of the card?"

"You'll know that soon enough. What fun would it be to reveal such information so soon? Until then, be prepared because we will meet again!" With that, Marik released his control on the former magician, making him collapse into the young man's arms.

"I'm not afraid of you! Next time show me your face, you coward!" said Yugi impetuously.

* * *

Marik wanted Yugi and Yami destroyed as soon as possible, and he decided to head to Domino City the next day on his ship. He was discussing the new plot with Odion.

"Soon I will have the power that I am worthy of and have revenge for that wretched curse that's been on my family. To do that, I will use the Quiet One to crush Yugi Mutou in a duel!"

Though Odion had no desire to follow such a path, he knew he had to for now. So he would have to humor Marik. "How do you plan to get Obelisk from Kaiba, Master Marik?" he asked.

"That's a simple task. I'm not concerned. Once Yugi is taken care of, I will strip Kaiba of his Egyptian God card."

Odion, intuitive as usual, picked up on what might take place. "So you're going to duel Kaiba yourself?"

"If I have to do that, yes. But my main concern is Yugi." Marik noticed that Yugi depended on his friends for back up when in the slightest danger. They might hurt his plan to destroy the pharaoh's vessel, and he couldn't have that or he would have to kill them, too. "Keep an eye on those pathetic friends of his."

"Right." Odion nodded in obedience.

"I don't want them getting in my way. Actually Odion, if I have to, I may use them as pawns to get what I want. One can never have too many loyal servants. Now go tell Keren that we will be headed for Domino City tomorrow and that she may leave the infirmary."

Odion bowed respectfully and left.

Keren was sitting in the waiting area of the infirmary, reading a magazine. The doctors who were tending to the rare hunters had told her to leave the room while they worked on them. The fallen rare hunters had stopped breathing shortly after she endured the lecture from Odion, and she was frantic when calling for the doctors. Even though she did not trust the henchmen at all, she couldn't say that she was glad that this setback had occurred. That was because she couldn't help but fear that something similar would happen to Odion if he continued to follow the darkness. Still, she was relieved to be out of the room.

Just then, a doctor came out with a grim expression on her face. Keren knew then that something was wrong.

"I'm sorry Miss, but we were not able to save your friends with our best efforts," the doctor informed the young woman.

Keren knew what it meant. The rare hunters had passed away. She wasn't sure whether to feel sad or relieved. But she would try to take it in stride. It was tragic, but she couldn't say that she would miss them. But she didn't want to appear callous. "I see. Thank you for informing me."

"My pleasure." The doctor left to attend to other patients.

Almost immediately after the doctor had left, Odion entered the infirmary. She wondered if he had informed Marik of her carelessness, if he was there to apologize or for some other purpose. Or maybe he wanted to lecture her again because he thought she had decided to be disobedient. Well if the latter was the reason, she knew she didn't have to worry. She tried to remain emotionless.

"Odion...it's you."

"I've come to tell you that you are free to leave the infirmary now. It seems that you've tried to escape that task."

He sounded like he was accusing her and she didn't like that. But she was not worried. She didn't have to explain herself. "The rare hunters stopped breathing and I was told to leave the room by the doctors."

Odion's facial expression softened, as if he felt ashamed for questioning her competence and loyalty. He knew he had no choice, considering her actions earlier.

"The rare hunters expired," Keren informed him.

Odion was in shock. He had expected that his former colleagues would make a complete recovery. This was news that he would have to report to his master sooner or later. He wasn't sure how Marik would take it. Would he go through with the new plan or put it on hold?

"I've also come to tell you that Master Marik plans to set sail for Domino City tomorrow," Odion told the young woman.

"All right." Although Keren wasn't very pleased because she knew why Marik wanted to go there, it was still good news to her because it meant that she would be able to see Ishizu and come up with a plan to save the tomb keeper. And perhaps this would enable her to put the depressing moments behind her.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

* * *

The next day, Keren was all ready for the trip to Domino. She had phoned Ishizu to tell her the news of her arrival the night before, as well as about the death of some of Marik's rare hunters. Ishizu had seen that coming, and she was delighted that Keren would be coming because she had begun to worry for her safety.

The young woman could tell that Ishizu was extremely worried about something from the way she had told her to have a safe journey over and to be careful, even though she hadn't specifically told her why. She knew not to question her, though, since she was aware that Ishizu foresaw things that she had no idea would happen until they actually did happen.

'_Oh well. I will not waste my time wondering what it was she foresaw would happen to me,' _thought Keren. _'I will just be careful like she said.' _ She double checked to make sure she had everything she needed, and pulled along her small suitcase. She had been told to report for the rare hunters' hideout at the designated time. She checked her watch to make sure she wasn't running late. Fortunately, her timing was good. She was glad about that. The last thing she needed was to get on Marik's bad side by making him late.

She headed for Marik's hideout. When she entered, she saw that Odion, Marik, and a few other rare hunters were there. The rare hunters gave her a "you're not welcome among us" kind of look. Instantly she sensed the hostility. This was the first time she got the feeling that they had some sort of grudge against her. When they used to give her the silent treatment before, she didn't think much of it. And if they did have hatred for her before, they hid it pretty well.

'_Was this why Ishizu had warned me?' _ Keren wondered to herself. She couldn't understand why Marik's henchmen would treat her this way. She hadn't done anything to them. If looks could kill, she would have died that moment. She started to get the feeling that they wanted to harm her in some way, even though she was still confident that Odion wouldn't allow it. In spite of their animosity, she decided that she would still at least be civil towards them. "Greetings to you all," was what she managed to say.

The rare hunters grunted in reply, but Marik and Odion were friendlier in their response. Marik even said," I see you're looking well."

Keren felt like being sarcastic, considering everything Marik had done so far. But she knew better than that. So she just said, "Yes. I am well. I appreciate your concern."

Marik gave her a small smile, something that was pretty rare of him to do ever since he began to follow the dark side. It was refreshing to see, and also creepy. She wasn't sure if he meant it or not. "Excellent. Now let's be going. There is much work to be done."

"That's right, Master," said Odion. He eventually told Marik about the death of the lower ranked rare hunters, which Marik didn't seem to emote much about, at least not openly. And although the tattooed faced man partly felt that there should be a change of strategy, to wait to carry out the plans, it didn't surprise him at all when his master decided that there would not be time for waiting, and therefore still wanted to take the course of action as soon as possible. After all, Marik could be _extremely_ impatient.

The other rare hunters, however, were not thinking quite as much about their strategies to crush Yugi should they have to duel on their master's behalf. Instead, they were devising an extremely diabolical scheme to ruin Keren to make sure that she didn't prevent Odion from fulfilling his duties.

* * *

Meanwhile in Domino City, three of the top duelists, Mai, Joey and Yugi had planned to meet at town square that morning. They had planned to update each other on their progress in the tournament so far. Mai and Yugi were there so far…but Joey hadn't showed up yet. Mai was becoming a bit impatient. She and Yugi had been waiting there for ten minutes. She did not have time to waste.

"That slacker should have been here ten minutes ago. I don't have all day to waste, waiting for him!" She liked the guy, but seriously, he could be frustrating sometimes.

"Joey is coming now," stated Yugi. Mai looked up to see Joey sprinting towards her and Yugi. A part of her was thinking_, 'It's about time.'_

The blonde young man started huffing and puffing and he gave Mai a high five as he came to a complete stop. "Fancy seeing you again, Mai!"

"Hello. Still in the tournament, Wheeler?"

"You bet. I am the proud owner of two locator cards," Joey boasted, holding up his locator cards to show his female companion.

Mai was expecting such progress from Joey, considering how far he had come since she first dueled against him. "Not bad. But you're gonna have to pick up the pace if you're gonna be as good as I am."

"What do you mean? How many do you have?" asked Joey, a bit flustered. Much to his dismay, Mai held out twice as much, meaning that she had four. Yugi had three locator cards. Joey began to worry when he saw this.

"At this rate, I'm never gonna make it to the finals," he moaned.

"Don't say that, Joey. You have plenty of time. You're doing great and I know that you'll do even better with your other duels. I have faith in you."

Mai always felt uncomfortable when really mushy stuff was said in her presence. But she chose not to let it be known this time. "Well neither of us will make it to the finals unless we actually win more duels."

"You're right Mai," agreed Joey. "Time for me to do some major catching up."

"Now you're talking. I'd better get going now. I wish you boys the best of luck! Mwa!" Mai blew a kiss.

"See you later!" said Yugi.

"Luck is for amateurs and I've passed that rank for quite some time," remarked Joey.

"Hmph!" Mai ran off to find more opponents. She couldn't agree more with Joey. And she hoped that he made it to the finals so she could test her skills against the newly improved duelist.

Joey left to go and find another opponent as well. He didn't want Mai to completely show him up when the fact of the matter was that he was on the same dueling level as she was. Yugi was still feeling slightly unsettled by Marik's warning, and he needed something to take his mind off of it for awhile. He decided to go with Joey to watch a second duel of his.

Unbeknownst to Yugi, Marik was spying on him through his rare hunter, Strings, who happened to be standing motionless on a bench. "Hahaha! I'm watching every move you make, Little Yugi." A small bird perched onto the mime's shoulder. Marik thought Yugi was such a fool to let his guard down. He smirked as he watched Yugi go off with Joey. _'It doesn't matter. Soon, not even your pathetic friends will be able to save you from your imminent demise.' _ By then his ship was loaded up, his "crew" was on board and he was ready to set sail. He couldn't wait to destroy Yugi once and for all.

* * *

Tristan, Tèa and Vicki were at Yugi's house, waiting for him to come down. They hoped that they had not missed him, since it was later than the designated time they had agreed to meet him. Tèa was very annoyed with Tristan for holding them up. Before she could chastise him for holding them up, the door opened. It was Mr. Mutou. He came outside to join the teens.

"Can I help you kids with anything?" he asked in his warm friendly tone.

"We're here for Yugi."

"Oh that's right." Solomon rubbed his temples. "Sorry, but you've missed him ten minutes ago."

Tèa was so disappointed. And her annoyance grew. She couldn't keep her temper any longer. "This is your fault for yakking on the phone so long!"

Tristan looked sheepish, and he seemed unfazed by Tèa's temper. "I was on an important phone call."

Vicki rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure you were. Telling Serenity all sorts of incorrect things about yourself to sound more interesting is more like it."

Tèa nodded her agreement. "You're such a flirt. How am I going to see him duel now?" The last word came out as a whine.

"Calm yourself, lassie. You'll raise your blood pressure," said Vicki, giving her friend an amused look.

"Never fear," said Mr. Mutou. "I will slip on my comfy shoes and help you find him."

"Thank you, Mr. Mutou." She had seen him duel once but she wouldn't mind seeing another duel again. And she thought it would be cool for all of them to watch a duel together, instead of being split up.

* * *

Meanwhile, Joey and Yugi were walking down the street. Yugi was helping Joey look for potential opponents. He knew that his best friend would want to face someone a bit ruthless, given his great improvement, and there quite a few competitors that dueling against would be a true test against his skills. They just had to find the possibilities.

All of a sudden, a young boy ran up to the two duelists...a boy who could not be any more than eleven years old. He was holding a notepad and a pen.

"Joey Wheeler?" asked the little boy. He could see that Yugi was with him, and was tempted to beg _him _for an autograph since he was Duel Monsters champion, but the person he was working for had no interest in him. Still, he was dying for an autograph from Yugi Mutou.

'_Huh?' _ thought Yugi and Joey. They glanced at each other, wondering what this kid wanted. Then Joey came forward.

"Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?"

It was all the boy could do not to smirk. _'This is so easy,'_ he thought. _'Weevil will be so proud of me. That rare card will be mine.' _

"I am collecting autographs from all of the top duelists here in Battle City for my little sister. She especially wants one from you. She has a major crush on you."

Joey sweat dropped, and nearly fell over, but he caught himself. After all, it was normal for fan girls to obsess over their favorite idols. And he was secretly flattered that someone loved his work so much. This meant that he was doing _something _right. He took the pad and pen from the boy, furiously scribbled something on it, and handed it back to him. "There you go."

"Thank you so much! This will mean so much to my sister!" He paused for a second, to figure out a way he could politely ask what he wanted to. "That duel disk on your arm looks totally cool. Would it be okay if I tried it on to see how it looks on me? I promise that I'll be careful with it."

"Uh..." Joey was silent for a bit. Even though this boy was just a kid and he sounded sincere, he couldn't take any risks. He did not want to have to learn not to trust any and everybody the hard way.

"Be careful," Yugi whispered to Joey.

"I know," Joey whispered back. He made his decision. "Sorry, kiddo. I don't hand over my duel disk to just anybody."

'_Rats!'_ spat the kid mentally. "Please?" he begged. "Just for a little while." He stuck out his lower lip and gave puppy-dog eyes.

Joey tried to be firm, but he found it difficult to do so with the boy giving him the sad look. It was a look that was hard to say no to. "Okay. But you have to give it back, all right? "Joey caved in. "I need it for my other duels."

"Sure thing." The little boy was so moved by how nice Joey seemed that he almost felt bad for being so deceitful. But even so, he found it so amusing that the blonde was so easy to fool.

Joey took off the duel disk and handed it to the boy. _'Operation success!' _ the navy haired youngster thought as he gleefully took it from Joey. He broke into a quick sprint.

For a moment, Joey didn't comprehend what had just happened, but he caught on rather quickly. He realized that the young boy had tricked him. He was very angry about that, and wanted to kick himself for giving in so easily. It was just like that moment when Yugi had agreed to let Weevil see the Exodia cards and Weevil had thrown them overboard.

"My duel disk! " the blonde yelled. "Get back here you little rat!" He didn't know what the devious little clown would do, but whatever it was, he was not going to get away with that little stunt. He chased the little boy. "Joey!" Yugi shouted. He ran after his best friend. He hoped that Joey would be all right, and that he wouldn't let his temper get the better of him. He knew how short tempered the former street fighter could be, and a child didn't deserve violence. No matter what he or she did.

Soon, Mr. Mutou and Yugi's other friends were headed in that direction. "Hey, let's stand on the footbridge over there," Tèa suggested. "That way we will be able to see who's walking by."

"Super idea, Tèa," chirped Vicki. Though she wouldn't admit it, she was hoping that Tèa would suggest that. All of the walking around was making her hips feel a bit stiff. So the three teens and Mr. Mutou climbed up the bridge. Mr. Mutou muttered something about his bones not being as strong as they used to be. They all peered down and kept an eye out for any sign of Yugi.

Someone came running by. It was Joey, who was still chasing the little boy. "You won't get away with this, you lying punk!" he was screaming after the kid. The boy didn't pay much attention…he kept on running and only slowed down long enough to slip something into Joey's deck. Yugi happened to be running after Joey.

"What's this? A chase?" pondered Tèa.

Mr. Mutou wondered what Tèa was referring to, and noticed three boys running after each other. "Looks like some youngsters are playing tag." he wondered. Sometimes he pitied the fact that his eyesight wasn't as good as it used to be. He reached into the pocket of his overalls for his glasses and put them on, _and then _he was able to see well.

Tèa, Tristan and Vicki took a closer look. "It's Joey and Yugi!" they all said simultaneously. Tèa took that moment to give Tristan a look that said, _"You're lucky we found him."_

Tristan ignored the scowl and yelled to Joey that he had his back. He leapt off the bridge and grabbed a hold of the boy. The young kid squirmed in Tristan's grasp, but it was no use, because the older guy was much tougher and bigger than he was.

"Tristan! Fancy meeting you here!" said Joey. He was so glad to see his other best friend.

The boy kept on squirming."Get off of me!"

Tristan ignored the boy's cries, and asked Joey what the little boy was doing with his duel disk.

"That's what I'm about to find out," Joey answered.

Tèa forgot about Tristan's little tryst, and she, Mr. Mutou and Vicki joined him and Yugi off bridge.

Yugi gently but firmly spoke to the boy about lying and stealing people's possessions. The boy felt guilty, and handed the blonde back his duel disk.

* * *

"I'm really sorry," the boy apologized. "I didn't know how else to become a duelist. You see I finally built a deck that I can duel with, but this guy stole all my cards."

"So you stole someone else's," concluded Tristan. As angry as he was that the boy attempted thievery, he felt bad that his deck was stolen.

The young boy looked down at the floor in shame. "I know it was wrong. I was just desperate to be in the Battle City tournament, that's all."

Instead of being angry, Mr. Mutou had a kind expression on his face. "The most important thing about becoming a duelist is always playing with honor," he reminded the young lad wisely. "There's no satisfaction in cheating your way in."

The boy couldn't believe how patient these people were being with him. He almost felt bad for going along with his "master's" plan. "I know. I'm sorry."

Even Joey didn't feel any negativity for the boy. What had happened didn't justify his actions, but that didn't change the fact that he _despised_ bullies. "Who was the punk that stole your dueling deck?" he pressed.

The kid shrugged. He knew who it was, but if he was going to hold their trust he couldn't reveal what he was up to. "I dunno…he had bug eyes and a head like a blue beetle."

Joey pictured the image in his mind, and right away he realized that there was only one person who fit that description. "That's gotta be Weevil Underwood!" Joey and his friends said in unison. He was the only person who would be low enough to steal someone's deck, considering what a liar and cheater he was.

Tristan shook his head. "That freak is up to his old tricks."

Joey became even more riled. "Now I'm angry! Where is he? I'm gonna teach that bug a thing or two!"

"He's by the fountain!" the kid replied.

Joey had started running off to find Weevil even before his question was answered, and so he only faintly heard the boy. Tristan had to tell him slow down…but even he was hot on Joey's trail. Tèa followed, and even Vicki followed. She had seen him when Mai pointed him out before the tournament, but she wanted to see if he was as much as a snot as she suspected.

Mr. Mutou realized that he was getting left behind, and turned to leave as well. "Goodbye."

"See you. And good luck."

As the boy watched the old man leave, he smirked evilly. He couldn't believe how easily they accepted his story. He ran to report this to Weevil. He found the insect loving boy in the corridor, waiting for him. Weevil grinned when he saw his little minion coming. He hoped that the boy had not failed him. "So, were you successful?"

"Yes. I told them my story and they believed every single word," the boy reported proudly.

Weevil was pleased to hear this. Everything was going according to plan. "Then the fools have crawled right into my trap. Wheeler is mine!"

The boy didn't want Weevil to think he had forgotten the promise of his payment. "I did what you wanted me to do. Now where is that rare card you promised me?"

Weevil placed a finger on his temple, as if he had forgotten. "Oh yes, the rare card. I almost forgot all about it." The blue haired duelist flipped through his deck and handed the boy the card.

The preteen smiled and took a look at it. His smile disappeared and was replaced by a look at dismay. "You lied! This is a card that everyone has, and it's not even strong!"

Weevil was amused by the disappointment. "So you want me to give you something else?"

"Yes," said the boy.

"How about a taste of my arachno-slime?" suggested Weevil, grinning evilly. He took out a gun and squirted the boy with it, leaving him entangled in the slimy web. The insect duelist walked away, guffawing hysterically. "Yugi may have defeated me in Duelist Kingdom, but after the trap I've set, Wheeler doesn't stand a chance!" he gloated. Joey's skills were a bit weaker than Yugi's so Weevil thought defeating him would be a piece of cake. He went looking for his prey.

* * *

Serenity was extremely bored. She wished that someone was there to keep her company. The room was quiet-too quiet. All of a sudden, she heard someone come in, place something on the ground and crawl under the bed. He knew that the doctor was looking for him, but he wasn't going to get the test done no matter what. One good thing was that at least he had his mini-laptop to help keep him entertained.

A few minutes later, the door opened again. This time it was the nurse.

"Serenity, did you hear anyone come in?" asked the nurse.

"You mean, besides you? No. Why do you ask?" She really hated lying, but she knew how the person felt.

"There's a boy named Kenta running around the ward, trying to avoid getting his x-rays taken."

Serenity nodded knowingly. "He must be afraid."

"That he is. He won't go near the machine, even though it's painless." She left the room to continue her search.

Kenta discreetly breathed a sigh of relief. He was sure that she would find him. He couldn't thank Serenity enough for covering for him.

"You can come out now," Serenity told him.

The brown haired boy did so. "You knew I was here?" he asked incredulously.

"I could hear you breathing under the bed."

"So why didn't you turn me in?"

"Because I understand how you feel. I was scared of some of the tests here, too, but you know, they're not as bad as you think they are."

"Ah I see." Kenta looked thoughtful, but he still wasn't convinced that he would get through his procedure unfazed. "So how can I pay you back for covering for me?"

Serenity thought about that, and noticed that she hadn't heard about any duels from her brother since he dueled against Espa. "I know! You can check out the Battle City website for me."

"Will do! But how come?"

"My brother is dueling today."

"He's a duelist?" Kenta looked in awe. "Cool!" He came out from beneath the bed, picked up his laptop, placed it onto the bed and booted it up.

* * *

Yugi and his friends were by the fountain, just as the boy told them to go. They looked around, but they couldn't find a trace of Weevil.

"I don't understand. I thought the kid said he was around here. He'd better not have tricked us again or else he's toast!" said the blonde, shaking his fist. When he was about to rant some more, he and the others heard a familiar annoying voice.

"Looking for someone?"

Joey looked up sharply. "I thought I'd smell a dung beetle."

Weevil feigned hurt. "That's my greeting after all this time?" He cackled like a witch.

Vicki's first impression? He was stupid. And the laugh grated on her nerves as well.

"You stole that boy's cards didn't you worm breath?" Joey asked accusingly.

"I don't remember stealing any cards," answered Weevil.

"Then maybe I can refresh your memory!" said Tristan, cracking his knuckles.

"Take it easy, Tristan," advised Yugi. He was never one for violence.

To everyone's surprise, Joey agreed with Yugi. Usually he would be joining Tristan with the clobbering. Not to say that he didn't feel like smacking the bug duelist. This was just another chance to prove himself. "Don't bother, Tristan. We'll settle this fair and square with a duel."

Tèa didn't sound too sure about that. "Be careful Joey! This guy is a major cheater!"

"Be careful where you point that finger Tèa. It might get bitten by one of my pets!"

Tèa wasn't amused. "Gross!" she exclaimed. Vicki nearly threw up. She was afraid to see what pets the little worm had.

"I am looking forward to giving you the most humiliating defeat!" laughed Weevil. "We'll duel for two locator cards!"

"Joey! Don't accept it! You can't risk both of your cards! If you're defeated, you'll be out of the tournament!"

And Tristan added, "It's much too risky, Joey."

"That's if you even have two," said Weevil.

"Joey. You do realize that as risky as it may be, you can do it, right?" Yugi asked his friend. "Just believe in yourself and in the heart of the cards and you'll be able to overpower Weevil's cheating ways."

Joey had been listening to his friends. All of them had valid concerns but Yugi was the one who seemed to understand. He made his decision. "You're on, Weevil! Yugi was the one who mopped the floor with you in Duelist Kingdom so it's my turn to teach you that cheaters never prosper the hard way!"

"That's right, Joey!" said Yugi.

"Well if that's your decision, just know that we're behind you all the way," said Vicki.

"Thanks, Vicki." The blonde turned to glare at Weevil. "So how many locator cards do you have?"

"Two!"

"Then once I step on you and take them both, plus your rarest card, I'll be responsible for kicking your ugly mug out of the tournament!" He activated his duel disk and slipped in his deck.

Weevil did the same and grinned an evil grin. "It's time to duel!" he and Joey declared in unison. The bug duelist felt so pumped; he couldn't wait to educate the blonde about his insect cards.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

* * *

The duel began, and Joey summoned his Swordsman of Landstar in attack mode. "I'll also set one card faced down for later!" said the blonde, setting the magic card face down and ending his turn.

Weevil burst into hysterical laughter. "I knew beating you would be a piece of cake! An amateur like you will be squashed by my army of insects! I summon my Flying Kamakiri #1. (1400 attack points) All right my Kamakiri, send his toy of a monster packing!" The mantis prepared to attack, but Joey stopped it with his face down magic card, Shield and Sword. The swordsman had 1200 attack points as a result, and the mantis-like creature only had 900 attack points. Weevil pretended to be dismayed.

"That's right! As you can see, it switches the attack points with its defense points, so now _my _monster is stronger!"

"Way to outsmart him, dude!" cheered Tristan.

"Okay my swordsman! Slice and dice that oversized mantis!" The swordsman attacked, causing the bug duelist to lose 300 life points.

Weevil laughed his annoying giggle again. It seemed he had underestimated Joey, but he still wasn't impressed. "You may have destroyed my Flying Kamakiri #1, but you activated its special ability, which lets me summon the dreaded Kamakiri # 2!" He played the second mantis-like monster, this one even stronger than the first one. (1500 attack points)

Joey drew a card, and was delighted to see he had drawn Jinzo, the rare card he won from the ESP duelist. More than enough attack points to destroy the second Kamakiri. He remembered the rules about sacrificing weaker monsters to summon a creature level 5 or higher.

"I sacrifice my swordsman in order to summon my Jinzo to the field!" The android being appeared, roaring. "Jinzo, turn that oversized mantis into bug juice!" Jinzo emitted cyber waves at the mantis-like insect, destroying it. Weevil's life points were reduced to 2800.

The insect duelist feigned astonishment. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Like hell it wasn't!" yelled Vicki from the sidelines. Not only was his choice of monsters sickening, but his gloating and overall attitude was as well. She hoped Joey hurried up and defeated him. She didn't think she could put up with the annoying twerp for much longer.

"Your luck is about to run out, Wheeler!" Weevil chuckled, and drew a card. His smile became wider. "I place one monster faced down and end my turn." Weevil's expression turned into an evil smirk. _'Just take my bait and attack this! You'll have a very unpleasant surprise the minute you do!'_

"That's right! Set 'em up so my Jinzo can cream it! Jinzo, attack!" But the minute the android being launched its attack, the card activated and something leapt and wrapped around its head.

Joey was creeped out just looking at the insect. "What is that?"

Weevil cackled. "It's my leech Kisetai! It attaches to the first monster foolish enough to attack it! Not only that, but my life points also receive an extra 1200 boost as long as it's in play!" Everyone watched in horror as Weevil's life points increased and returned to the original 4000.

"Disgusting!" Tèa said out loud. She was always repulsed by Weevil's deck of insect monsters but now his deck seemed to have gotten worse.

Weevil pretended not to hear Tèa…not like he cared what she thought anyway. "To finish my turn, I play one monster in defense mode."

Joey regained his composure. "So Jinzo has a leech on him, big deal! He can still cyber attack! Jinzo, do your thing!" The faced down monster was destroyed by the psychic flame, but the maneuver only helped Weevil some more. Joey watched in disbelief as Weevil's life points increased by 500.

"How kind of you," remarked Weevil, laughing.

"What's the deal?" asked Joey.

Weevil just laughed at his opponent's confusion. "I see what just happened is much too complicated for your peanut-sized brain to comprehend! Well, I'll make it simple for you. When you destroyed my Skull-Mark Lady Bug, you activated its special effect. It gives me 500 more life points in addition to the 1200 life points I will receive as long as my leech Kisetai is in play! I play one more monster in defensive mode, and end my turn!" Just as Weevil's turn ended, he got 1200 more life points, raising them to a shocking 5700.

Joey was beginning to panic. At this rate Weevil would be impossible to defeat, unless he could destroy the Kisetai. He would need an excellent card to do that, so he had to make his next turn count.

"Come on, Joey!" said Yugi. "Stay focused and you can beat him!"

Vicki's face was turning green by the very sight of the leech but she tried not to make it too obvious."Yeah! We're right behind you! Teach this vermin a lesson the hard way!"

"Right! You guys rock." Joey maintained his game face and stared daggers at the insect duelist. "It'll take more than that to beat me, bug breath! You're going down! It's my turn now!"

Weevil smirked at Joey. "Then go ahead and make your pathetic move. You know, it would have been easier if you had just given up."

"Whatever!" All he wanted to do was wipe the smirk off of Weevil's face. _'Come on, deck, give me a winner.' _He drew another card. _'Sweet! The card I was hoping for!' _"Well well, bug boy, it's time to burn off your leech! I sacrifice my Jinzo in order to summon Panther Warrior to the field!" (2000 attack points) A humanoid shaped panther holding a sword appeared, roaring. "Now your life points can't increase!"

'_Good riddance!' _thought Tèa. She feared if she had to look at the parasite for just _one more minute_, she would have been sick.

"Good work, Joey!" Yugi congratulated his best friend.

Joey thoroughly appreciated the support. He heard Mr. Mutou say he had to be prepared for anything and at this point he felt like he was. "Panther Warrior, slice and dice his faced down monster!"

The destruction of the defense monster made Weevil snap. He was secretly miffed that Joey managed to foil his previous strategy. "All right, Wheeler, enough playing around. Up until now I have been going easy on you, but you have started to bug me!"

"Bring it on!"

"Very well. I summon the Larvae Moth!" (500 attack points) A hideous bright green caterpillar with blue spots materialized.

Joey was becoming nervous now. This was not a pleasant memory for him. He knew what was in store for him. He had to face the same combination that nearly defeated Yugi in Duelist Kingdom. "It's the bug that was used against Yugi."

"Exactly right! Your memory seems to be much better than your dueling. Now that you know what's in store for you, your destruction begins! I wrap my Larvae Moth in the all powerful Cocoon of Evolution!"

Everyone held their breaths as they watched the silk encase the caterpillar, which had a defense power of 2000.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kenta had been giving Serenity the play by play on Joey's duel as she had asked him to. She had so much faith in her brother, he hated to sound negative. But to say the least, he was in a very dire situation.

"Bad news, Serenity," he said. "Weevil has played one of the strongest combos in all of Duel Monsters. He plans to evolve the Larvae Moth into the Ultimate Great Moth. It could be over for him unless he comes up with something fast."

Serenity always hated hearing bad news about her brother, but she wasn't worried. "I am sure he will find a way."

The little boy was amazed at Serenity's faith. She had so much confidence even when the situation seemed hopeless. "If he is really as good as you say he is, now is the time for him to prove it."

"He will. You'll see."

"I hope you're right. If he loses, he will be out of the tournament."

"He will win with our support. Don't lose hope so quickly."

* * *

"This is the beginning of the end for you, Wheeler! The Great Moth is like nothing you've ever faced, or will ever face again!" Weevil was telling Joey. "Care to throw in the towel?"

'_There's no way I'm giving up,' _thought the Duelist Kingdom runner up. But Weevil did have a point. The Great Moth was virtually unstoppable at its strongest. "I've got to pop that pupa!"

Weevil wagged his finger at the blonde. "Uh-uh-uuuh! My next move is going to make such an attempt useless. You see, there is already a parasite living inside your deck!"

"What?" questioned Joey incredulously. He didn't believe Weevil at all.

Weevil took it to mean Joey never heard the word before. "Parasite! An insect that lives off of other animals. I play the magic card Reckless Parasite, which will bring the insect card, Parasite Paracide, in your deck to life!"

Now Joey thought Weevil had _really _lost it. "You've gotta be out of your mind! My deck doesn't have any insect cards—"he started to protest. Just as he was saying that, his deck emitted an aura, and a worm-like creature popped from the glowing card and latched onto his Panther Warrior, poking out of its semi-open mouth. Vicki took one look and excused herself. Her stomach had been churning like crazy at most of Weevil's monsters and she couldn't take it anymore. Everyone was too busy watching the duel to notice.

"What was that you were saying?" Weevil taunted.

Tèa was absolutely sickened by such a sight. "That's really gross!" she exclaimed.

This angered Tristan as well. "That little germ! It looks like Weevil pulled a fast one on you, Joey!"

Joey was still in shock over what just happened. "I know! But how did the card get in my deck?" Suddenly a thought occurred to the blonde. He remembered when the little boy tricked him into letting him hold his duel disk. He thought it was weird that the kid went running with it. He had a hunch that he was working for Weevil and he was the one who slipped the card in. His shock changed into disgust and he felt like a fool for believing the boy's claim that Weevil stole his cards. _'Wait till I get my hands on him!'_

"A good duelist would prepare for an encounter long before it takes place!" said Weevil.

Tèa could see that he hadn't changed a bit. "But that's against the rules!"

"You creepy little cheater!" Tristan accused.

Weevil faked an innocent expression. "Cheater? It's not my fault Joey didn't think to examine his deck before challenging me to a duel."

"Watch it!" warned Joey.

Tèa turned to Vicki, who was unusually quiet, which she found odd since she was generally very vocal when it came to situations like this. The girl was standing right next to her, but at the moment her spot was empty. She didn't even say she was leaving. She wondered where she had gone off to.

Tèa was beginning to worry when all of a sudden she spotted Vicki briskly jogging back. She was holding a coffee cup in her hand and her face looked greenish. She could only guess that the insect duelist's choice of monsters made the Scottish native lose her breakfast…that is if she actually had breakfast. She couldn't say she didn't feel like spewing chunks herself.

"Vicki! Where did you go off to?"

"Oh, just to the nearest coffee shop to grab a bite to eat. I had to take my Dramamine otherwise I would not be able to watch the rest of this duel."

"Oh." Tèa thought it was reasonable. And a smart move on her part.

"So are you okay?" asked Yugi.

"I am now."

Yugi noted the tinge of green on Vicki's face and wasn't too sure of that. "Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure." She sipped on her espresso some more.

"Anyway, it's my turn," stated Joey. He peeked at the cards in his hand. Not worth bragging about, but at least he would not have to pass. He had an idea of how to get rid of the cocoon. "My Panther Warrior may have a leech on him, but he can still attack you as long as I sacrifice another monster first, bug breath!"

"Your selective memory never ceases to amaze me. You seem to be forgetting every time you summon another monster, that monster will be infected."

"Yeah? So what?" He still failed to see the point.

"So you can't sacrifice an infected monster, which means your pathetic Panther Warrior can't attack!"

Oh. Rats. But at least the blonde had a plan B. Something that would help build up his defense. "Well, no biggie! I play Tiny Guardian in attack mode!" (1400 attack points) Just like Weevil said, the monster was infected the minute it appeared on the field. But Joey didn't care. "You were so busy bragging about your monster that you didn't seem to realize your cocoon has zero attack points!"

"Attack points mean nothing you fool! It's defending me!" Weevil started laughing hysterically.

Joey was thoroughly tickled at how oblivious the bug duelist seemed to be and yet he had the nerve to call _him_ a fool. "Take a closer look, flea brain!"

Weevil looked, only to see his cocoon was in attack mode. If Joey only knew. But he had to let him believe he was winning so it would be that much of a surprise when he sprang the trap he set. "Oh no! It can't be! I forgot to switch my cocoon into defense mode!"

"That's right and with zero attack points it's a sitting duck! And you're toast! Go, Tiny Guardian, attack!" The miniscule warrior with wings lunged at the cocoon, intending to slice the Cocoon of Evolution in half.

"Oh no! I'm done!" Weevil quivered in fear, and then his frightened look turned into a smirk. "Or so you think! I forgot about my face down card." He pushed a red button on his duel disk, which activated his card. "I activate my Insect Barrier magic card, which prevents attacks from all insect attacks, including yours!" The oblong shaped barrier stopped the infected guardian in its tracks.

"Mine?" Joey repeated. He was about to ask what Weevil was talking about, but then he remembered how his monsters were just infected. And he really needed to stop the creature from evolving. But how was he going to do that when he couldn't attack?

"Joey, don't give up!" Tèa called out.

"Yes, stay calm and believe in your deck!" said Mr. Mutou. "There may be a way to turn Weevil's own trick against him."

"That's right," agreed Yugi. "I know his life points are high, but the fact that you duel honorably will help you overcome his cheating ways."

'_They're right,' _thought Joey. _'I know I can do it. But how?'_

* * *

"Kenta, how is Joey doing?" Serenity asked her new friend. She hoped things were getting better for her older brother.

The little boy glanced at the computer scene. He wasn't sure Serenity was going to like the news very much. "Well things haven't gotten any better. Every monster your brother summons will be infected and now Weevil has played a card that prevents Joey's infected monsters from attacking."

Serenity wasn't very happy to hear that. "What about that gross moth thing?" she asked.

"It says your brother has four turns before it hatches."

"Well that's good."

"Yes, but when that happens…it will take a miracle to keep him from losing."

'_I know you can get out of this, Joey. Don't give up,'_ thought Serenity. Kenta seemed to be very pessimistic and she hoped her brother would succeed so he could see how tough he really was.

* * *

Weevil prepared to make his next move. "I could wait for the next four turns to go by to destroy you, but what fun would that be when I can start weakening your life points right now?"

Joey was still thinking a way out of this jam. "You're bluffing!"

"Oh? I beg to differ. I summon Leghul!" (300 attack points) A leech that was purple and lime green with antennae and pinchers appeared. "Leghul, attack!" The leech pounced forward and pinched Joey on the leg, bringing Joey down to 3700 lifepoints. It hurt, but he was too taken by surprise to think much about that.

"Ah! How'd you do that? I still have monsters on the field!"

Weevil chuckled. "My Leghul has the special ability to bypass your monsters and attack you directly."

"Great." Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse. "Well, I switch both of my monsters into defense mode and end my turn."

"How sad. At this rate nothing will save you! Leghul, attack again!" The attack made Joey lose 300 more life points.

As frustrating as the situation was, Joey would not be deterred. He knew there was something that could help him, but the question was would he draw it in time. He drew a card._ 'It's Giant Trunade! The card Vicki gave to me. I can use it to get rid of that Insect Barrier! Things are looking up!' _He grinned.

"Play whatever you like, Wheeler! You'll never stop me!" Weevil taunted, oblivious to Joey's facial expression.

"That's what you think, you worm!"

"Huh?" Weevil was becoming petrified for the first time since the duel was in progress, which was a rarity for him. In fact, he almost always thought his opponents were making empty threats, but with the smile on Joey's face and the fiery look in his eyes, he knew better than to draw that conclusion.

"That's right! I play my magic card, Giant Trunade!" He slipped the card into one of the slots.

"Say goodbye to your Insect Barrier!" A typhoon swirled towards the barrier and swept it away, sending the card back to Weevil's hand. He was very dismayed by this.

"Oh no! Now you can attack!"

"That's right!" Joey switched his Tiny Guardian into attack mode. "Now let's try this again! Tiny Guardian, slice and dice that cocoon!" Tiny Guardian attacked once again, reducing Weevil's life points to 4300.

"Excellent work, Joey!" said Yugi. Mr. Mutou, too, offered his congratulations on how much Joey had improved.

"You're the man!" cheered Tristan.

Vicki was ecstatic to see that Joey had used the card she gave to him. "You used the card well."

Joey appreciated the support. "Thanks, guys. You're the best."

But it was not over yet. All of a sudden, a billow of smoke ensued and surrounded the cocoon, just like when Yugi dueled against Weevil. When the smoke cleared, there was a large light green moth. The moth had almost completely evolved, except it still had its legs.

Weevil cackled. "Impressive of you to get rid of my barrier and cocoon! However, you still can't stop me! It has 2600 attack points, more than enough to turn your pathetic monsters into bug juice!"

Joey kept his cool. He had known that destroying the cocoon was just a start and he still had a ways to go. He had been thinking about Mr. Mutou saying he could use the Parasite Paracide card to help him, and he had just the idea. "Zip it, worm boy! I am just getting started! Now go!"

"As you wish. Leghul, stick it to him again!" The direct attack knocked the blonde off his feet.

"Oh no! Joey!" Yugi cried out.

Joey got back up right away.

"That's enough punishment for now. What fun would it be to finish you so quickly, when I have other surprises in store for you? Hahahahaha!"

Everyone was so annoyed by Weevil's incessant laughter.

"That's right, laugh it up, bug boy! I'll be getting the last laugh! You'll see!" Joey drew another card, and saw it was one he needed to get rid of the Great Moth. "First I switch Tiny Guardian into defense mode. I also play Alligator's Sword in defense mode, and I'll set a card faced down to end my turn."

The parasite popped out of the Alligator monster, but Joey didn't care, since he wasn't using it to attack.

"Give it up, Wheeler! No matter what you play, you'll never stop my Great Moth! Your two locator cards are mine!"

"You wish!" Tristan yelled at him.

"Zap that big bug Joey!"

"Stay focused!"

Weevil merely ignored the support Tèa and Mr. Mutou were giving. In his mind, that was not enough to save Joey from his impending doom. "You're finished! Only a handful of monsters are strong enough to defeat my Great Moth even though you have managed to stop the evolution one turn earlier! You don't have any of them in your pathetic deck! Now my Great Moth, destroy his Alligator's Sword!" The moth flapped its mighty wings, emitting a gust of winds at the alligator.

Tristan found Weevil's trademark monster to be a thorn in the side. "Come on Joey! Find something in your deck that's like a fly swatter or something!"

Weevil chuckled at this. "What are you? His pompom girl?" he mocked.

"If I come over there, you'll be ancient history!" Tristan warned.

"Oooh, I'm shaking!"

* * *

Kenta was wondering how much longer the duel would last. Although Joey had managed to get rid of the Insect Barrier magic card, he was still facing a virtually unstoppable monster. "Serenity...I have good news and bad news."

Serenity gulped. "What is it?"

"Joey destroyed Weevil's Insect Barrier, so he can attack now. But I still don't think it looks good for him. I think we should stop watching the duel now."

Serenity thought it was a relief Joey stopped the Great Moth one turn earlier. She could see Kenta was still doubtful. "No way, Kenta. Joey is going to win and we're not giving up on him."

The little boy's mind was boggled that Serenity's confidence in her brother had not wavered. "How can you be so sure? He's facing a very powerful monster and he hasn't summoned anything powerful enough to defeat it. I guess he would be better off if he just quit and ran away."

Serenity began to see why Kenta lacked so much faith and didn't seem to be encouraging perseverance. "You mean, kind of like you did today?"

Kenta gave a sad sigh. "I guess," he admitted. "Some things are just too scary, especially if you have to face them all alone. And I don't want my x-ray taken, so I will stay in here. " He was too embarrassed to admit he would rather stay hospitalized than go back to school.

Serenity could understand how he felt, but she would have to talk to him. He couldn't go on living like this.

* * *

"Make your final move, Wheeler. And you'd better use it well."

"Keep talking, bug boy! You're toast!" Joey needed just one more card to complete his strategy for defeating the Great Moth. He desperately hoped he would draw it or else he would be defeated. _'Come on, deck, show me some love.' _He cautiously drew the card and glanced at it. _'Sweet! Just the card I needed. Look out, you little vermin! Joey's got a plan!' _"I place one card face down and switch all of my monsters into attack mode!"

His friends were in total shock and thought he was making an unwise move.

"How can he attack when his monsters are weaker?" asked Tèa.

"He's lost it. The pressure has gotten to him. He's cracking up," said Tristan.

"Unless…he is doing what I think he is," pondered Mr. Mutou thoughtfully.

Vicki glanced over at the old man, wondering what he thought Joey was doing. But then again, this was the first time she actually watched him duel in person, so she trusted Mr. Mutou.

"Bring it on!" challenged Joey. _'When you do, I'll have a surprise waiting for you.'_

"You got it!" Weevil chuckled as he drew his card. "I doubt a fool like you could have anything sneaky planned, but just in case, I place one monster in defense mode. You remember Leghul, don't you?"

Joey surely did, even though he didn't really care to. The creature was so bothersome.

"If not, I will refresh your memory. Leghul, bypass his monsters and attack him directly once again!" The attack knocked Joey's life points down to 2800. "And since you've put your parasite in attack mode and it's technically your weakest monster, you will lose once I attack! Say goodbye to Battle City, Wheeler! Go my Great Moth, attack!"

Joey had been anticipating that move. "I don't think so! You activated my trap card, Skull Dice! This lowers your monster's attack points depending on the roll of the die! The higher the number, the weaker your moth gets!" Everyone watched as the die was tossed and waited to see which number it would land on. It landed on a two, reducing the moth's attack strength to 1300.

"What?! Well, no matter, it still cuts the attack of your oversized pest in half!"

Weevil wasn't impressed. "What a pathetic attempt to survive, Wheeler! My moth still has more than enough attack power to destroy your parasite!"

"I'm not through yet! I also reveal my other face down card, Graceful Dice, which increases my monster's attack points depending on the roll of the die! The higher the number, the stronger my monster's gonna be, you little termite!" He mentally urged the purplish die to land on four or higher, which was what he needed to destroy the monster. Fortunately, it landed on approximately a four.

"All right!" Joey pumped his fist. "Parasite Paracide multiplied by 4 makes it 2000! I bet you're sorry you snuck it into my deck, aren't you?"

Weevil was sorely disappointed. He knew what this meant, and he didn't have a card to stop Joey's attack. "Oh no! I can't watch!"

"Say bye-bye to your bug!" The leech entangled the weakened Great Moth and squashed it. Weevil lost 700 more life points.

"Nooooooooo!" Weevil sulked over the loss of his Great Moth.

"Yay!" cheered Tèa.

"Good riddance," commented Vicki.

"Great dueling," complimented Mr. Mutou. Tristan and Yugi gave their congratulations as well. Joey surely had improved a great deal as a duelist.

* * *

Kenta was extremely impressed by what happened, and glad he had good news to report for once. "Hey Serenity, get this. Joey just crushed Weevil's Great Moth, and he just used the card slipped into his deck to do it."

"That's wonderful! I knew he could do it!"

"Yeah…" Kenta's voice trailed off a bit. He was beginning to understand Serenity's optimism. In fact, he thought maybe Joey would be able to win after all, but depending on what else Weevil had planned, he would have to get even tougher on the insect duelist.

At this point, Weevil was on the verge of a conniption over the destruction of one of his most prized monsters. "My Great Moth! My precious, precious Great Moth! You squashed it like a common fly! You'll pay! This duel isn't over yet, Wheeler! Not by a mile!"

Vicki snorted with laughter at Weevil's little hissy fit. _'Come on, Joey. Keep it coming to him. Don't let up.'_

"Bring it on, Weevil! I'll exterminate all of your little critters!"

"You won that round, but my next surprise is going to win me the duel and send you packing!" said Weevil, drawing his card.

"We'll see about that, Weevil!"

"Yes we will," agreed the regional champion."First I play my Insect Soldiers of the Sky, and then I'll play Eradicating Aerosol, which has the power to destroy any insect monster on the field! And since all of your monsters are now insects, I could take one of them out, but I've got bigger plans! I play my Pinch Hopper. Now I can destroy my own insect!" The magic card consisted of a brown hand holding a spray can.

"What gives?"

"Yes, why would he want to destroy his own insect?" Vicki wondered.

Mr. Mutou answered the question for her. "Once Pinch Hopper goes to the graveyard, Weevil can summon any monster he wants from his hand."

"Any monster?" Joey repeated. This was bad news. After all, no one knew what else Weevil had in store.

"Yes. Prepare to say goodbye to Battle City! Eradicating Aerosol, destroy my Pinch Hopper! "The magic card sprayed the grasshopper-like creature. "Now I can summon a creature whose attack power is virtually limitless! My Insect Queen! She's my rarest card and if played the right way, she is virtually unstoppable!"

"Quit your yapping and just play the card already!" Joey was clearly getting tired of Weevil.

"As you wish! I summon Insect Queen!" (2200 attack points)An enormous female cockroach-like creature with blue cat-shaped eyes slowly crawled onto the playing field. She gave a very shrill battle cry. "Kneel before my almighty queen!"

Joey cringed...but only because he thought the monster was hideously ugly. He wasn't the only one. Vicki found her to be the most repulsive, disgusting creature she had ever seen in her life.

"If you think she's frightening now, wait until you see her special function! She absorbs the attack power of every insect monster on the field!"

"She still has less than your Great Moth, and I creamed that thing! Creaming this queen will be a piece of cake!"

"You weren't listening! All of the insects on the field give her a power boost, even yours!" Weevil was very amused by how slow a learner Joey seemed to be.

"Mine?" For a second Joey had forgotten his monsters were technically still insects even though their attacks would no longer be blocked.

The queen absorbed the strength of all monsters on the field, raising her power to 3200. Dread began to fill Joey.

"Remember, Joey," Mr. Mutou reminded the blonde young man, "Insect cards can be very tricky. And to battle an insect duelist, you have to think like an insect duelist! You destroyed his Great Moth, and you can destroy his Insect Queen!"

"That's right!" agreed Yugi. "Just believe in the heart of the cards!"

* * *

What little assurance Kenta had in Joey's chances of vanquishing Weevil was gone. Watching the duel was like a rollercoaster for him, and he didn't think he could take it anymore.

"Joey is up against a monster that's even stronger than the Great Moth. It could be over for him. How could he face it all alone? It's too powerful."

"Joey isn't alone, Kenta. He knows I'm always there for him in spirit. And when I need him, I know he's always there for me. When I was afraid to get my eye surgery, he gave me the courage to go through with it. Joey is more than my brother. He is my friend and our bond of friendship will always be there."

"Oh." Kenta never looked at it this way before, but he was given something to think about. He had to admit he enjoyed spending time with Serenity, and decided he would try this feeling of being inspired by another person. "Hey, will you be my friend?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

"So if you ever get frightened, I'll be there for you. But right now, Joey needs both of our help. So let's cheer him on."

"Yeah, let's do it."

* * *

Marik was en route to Domino City on his ship. Keren was very ecstatic that she would see Ishizu, even though she had been keeping in touch with her ever since she had left to talk Kaiba into hosting the tournament. Now she would only have to count hours before she saw the Egyptian.

At that moment Keren was alone, in one of the small cabins on the ship. She generally would have loved to be able to spend time with Odion, but he was with the rare hunters and she felt extremely uncomfortable around them. Not to mention that Odion was a different person himself when with them. She wasn't sure how he would be if alone with her, but chances of her being alone with him were very slim. She pondered what she should do to pass the time of the voyage. She thought about sleeping through it, but that didn't sound very appealing to her…would be a total waste. Then again, she brought several novels along with her-ones she never got around to reading yet. She settled for reading one of them.

Keren reached into her satchel and pulled out one of the books. She was about to begin reading when all of a sudden, she heard knocking on the door. She gave a rather exasperated sigh. She didn't appreciate being interrupted one bit, but then realized it could be Odion coming to check on her. If it were him, she didn't mind much. She loved him. She put the novel aside and went to see who was knocking. When she opened the door and saw who was standing there, she was filled with trepidation and her heart leapt in her stomach. It was two of Marik's rare hunters. And the expressions on their faces were anything but friendly. She felt slightly queasy.

"How can I help you?" she tentatively asked. She hoped whatever it was wouldn't take long. She wasn't in the mood to be bothered by them. She couldn't help but wonder why they were scowling at her. She didn't know what they were planning to do, but she had a very bad feeling about this.

"We've come for you to show us a good time, to see what Odion sees in you," responded one of the rare hunters, in a dark tone.

For a moment, Keren was speechless. So this was what their hostility towards her had been about, and why they interrupted her quiet time. They wanted to violate her, which would be taboo.

"Well I am afraid I cannot help you there. Now please leave."

But the two robed men were not taking no for an answer. They would make her regret resisting them big time. One of them pulled her by the hand and pushed her onto the bed. She did not like where this was going. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she cried.

"Temper, temper," answered the rare hunter. He wasn't fazed at all by her anger. As far as he was concerned, she was all talk. And this time, no one would come to her rescue. He signaled for the other rare hunter to come and hold her down. The rare hunter obliged, came over and held her wrists so she would be defenseless against the other rare hunter's advances. As much as she tried to get out of his grip, it was futile. He was too strong. Now what was she going to do?

The rare hunter who had pushed her on the bed pulled off the veil she was wearing, and began to climb on top of her. The fear inside her grew stronger as she realized he really _was_ going to violate her. She couldn't allow that to happen. But with the other caped man having such a rigid grip on her, escaping wasn't exactly an option. She braced herself for the unthinkable that was about to happen. _'I'm sorry, my dear Odion,' _she thought despairingly. _'If you do not look at me the same way again, I understand.'_

In the heat of the moment, before she had time to think of how to escape, she kicked the rare hunter on top of her, in the groin, causing him to roll off the bed. He knelt there, taken aback. As for the robed man holding onto her wrists, she did a somersault and kicked him away as well. Seeing that the two men were dazed and still reeling from her little "assault", she fled from the room as fast as she could. Come to think of it, she was also surprised by her own actions, but they were adrenaline fueled. Her wrists throbbed from having been held so tight, but that was the last thing on her mind. She was running so fast that she tripped over her dress. She used her hands to stop the fall, and in the process heard a snap and popping sound in the index finger of her left hand. Searing pain shot through it almost immediately. _'Oh no.' _This was not enough to deter her efforts. She got back on her feet and continued running until she bumped into something…or rather someone. She hoped with all her heart it wasn't another rare hunter coming to assault her. Drawing in a deep breath, she cautiously looked to see who it was. It was Marik. Oh well. She could live with him. More than the rare hunters, that's for sure. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry," apologized the still shaken young woman. She hoped he wasn't too furious, though it was hard to tell, since his face was literally expressionless.

"Where do you think you're going?" Marik asked.

"Anywhere that's safe," answered Keren. She related to him the whole petrifying story.

Marik absorbed it all, and a look of fury was etched onto his face. To think they dared to attack Odion's companion without his permission? They would be severely punished for this. "Where are they?"

"I left them in my cabin. I'm sure they've left since then to try to come after me." Keren was about to take him to her cabin when all of a sudden, she heard footsteps. There stood the robed men who tried to take away her virginity. They both had smirks on their faces. Their smirks faltered when they saw their master standing there, looking furious. They knew they were in for the biggest earful ever.

"You fools, explain yourself regarding Keren!" Marik barked. And they had better have a _good _excuse too.

"Please spare us, Master Marik! We didn't mean any harm!" cried out one of the rare hunters.

They could have fooled him. "You dare inflict harm on this woman without my permission?!" he raged.

"Please! It won't happen again!"

"You're correct, it won't." Marik slowly walked toward the henchmen, and raised his millennium rod over them. They were so fearful because they knew what it meant when Marik used that tone. "Accept your fate!" He banished their minds to the Shadow Realm and they collapsed, motionless. With a flick of his cape, Marik walked away.

Although it scared Keren whenever Marik sent someone to the Shadow Realm, this time she did not feel bad about looking on the bright side. She wouldn't have to worry about the rare hunters harassing her anymore. She was positive that there were more on the ship, but if they knew of the fate of their colleagues, they dared not repeat the same mistakes.

Keren took a look at her finger to see what damage was done. By this point she could see swelling, and it was black and blue. Not a good sign at all. When she tried moving the finger around, it hurt so terribly that she swore in Aramaic. She headed back to her cabin to see if she could numb the pain somehow, until she would be able to see a doctor. That wouldn't be for hours, and with the pain so immense, she wasn't sure if she could last until then.

* * *

For Joey, facing the Insect Queen was a challenge, to say the least. One of the attacks seriously damaged his life points, and although he managed to evade one of Weevil's attacks with a trap of his own, he was out of options. At one point, he was about to give up, but with encouraging words from Tristan, Tèa, Vicki, Yugi and Mr. Mutou, his confidence returned and he had managed to summon an insect proof monster, Gearfried the Iron Knight. He also came up with the perfect way to destroy the Insect Queen. There were some setbacks, with Weevil being angry about his monster being weakened which made him power her up once again, but not even Weevil's cockiness was enough to faze Joey.

"Goodbye, Wheeler," said Weevil. "And now my lovely queen, attack his scrap heap of a knight and wipe out the rest of his life points!"

"Lovely?" Vicki muttered under her breath. She thought Weevil really needed to check his eyesight.

But Joey was all ready for this move. "You grub. I was hoping you'd attack me!"

Weevil was shocked. "You were?"

"Yup. All part of my plan! I activate the trap card, Grave Robber!"

Weevil was horrified. "No! Not Grave Robber!"

"That's right. You should be scared! My Grave Robber can steal a card from your graveyard and use it against you! He just nabbed your can of Aerosol! Time to exterminate your queen!" Weevil watched helplessly as the Eradicating Aerosol card destroyed his rarest monster.

"Yeah! There goes my pest problem!"

Normally Weevil would be angry but he was too dumbstruck for that. "What have you done to my queen?"

"I'm not through with you yet, Weevil Underpants! Gearfried, destroy his eggs and the rest of his life points!" The knight slashed the egg in half, taking the insect duelist's life points down to zero.

Vicki rubbed her forehead. All of Weevil's screaming was giving her a headache. She wished that he would shut up and take his defeat like a man.

"Welcome to Loserville, Weevil," said Joey. "Population: you."

Weevil dropped to his knees. "I lost! I can't believe it!" He began to get dizzy. This was a like a bad dream to him.

"All right!" cheered Tèa.

"Way to go!" said Tristan "You sure showed that little sneak!"

Yugi was very proud of Joey as well. He was sure Joey could defeat Weevil from the beginning. He went off to look for some more opponents.

Joey walked over to Weevil. He didn't want his opponent to think he had forgotten the stakes for this duel. "Now cough 'em up! Your Insect Queen and two locator cards!"

Weevil pretended to have forgotten his deal. "Have mercy!" he begged.

"Mercy? No way. You should have thought of that before you decided to cheat! Just like in Duelist Kingdom, you're out of the tournament!"

* * *

Kenta and Serenity had been rooting for Joey, and Kenta was glad their support worked.

"The duel is over!" he reported to Serenity. "He won! Joey kicked Weevil's buggy butt!"

The young girl was very happy. "I was sure he would."

"Yeah. He almost lost a zillion times, but he never gave up." This was when Kenta realized Serenity was right about having perseverance. "Serenity? I'm through running away! I'm not afraid anymore. I know I can face anything, as long as I have friends like you."

Serenity was glad he finally realized what she had been trying to tell him. "That's right."

"You know, one of these days I might become a top ranked duelist just like your brother, and all my friends can come cheer me on."

"I'll cheer the loudest." And she meant that, too.

"Can you get me Joey's autograph?"

Serenity chuckled. She was pleased Kenta was now a fan of her brother's work. "I'll ask him next time I speak with him."

All the people in Battle City saw the results of the duel, and were very impressed.

"Wow, what a duel. I can't believe Wheeler pulled it off," said one man.

"Well, he wasn't second in Duelist Kingdom for nothing," answered another person.

Yugi happened to have been passing by. _'Excellent work, Joey. You did this all without the Red Eyes Black Dragon! Keep it up and you'll qualify for the finals in no time.' _Knowing that Marik's rare hunters were looking for him, he intended to use Red Eyes to help him with the battles. He had a feeling it would be instrumental in saving the world.

Marik was spying on everyone in Battle City through Strings. _'The time is growing close, my mind slave. Soon, we will defeat Yugi together! Hahahahaha!' _This appeased the anger he felt earlier. He just hoped he wouldn't have to spend any more time baby-sitting his rare hunters. He had little time for such nonsense.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

* * *

Vicki had gone to her apartment for a snack. Watching the duel had made her a bit hungry. She also made a mental note to bring some goodies to munch on while she watched the other duels. She would try to find Yugi after she was through so she could watch his next duel—whoever it would be against.

In the meantime, Joey was walking down the street with Tèa, Tristan and Mr. Mutou. Joey was positively exhilarated about his victory over Weevil. It was a win he would savor for awhile yet.

"Who's the man? Thanks to Weevil, I'm only one duel away from qualifying for the Battle City finals." He was especially glad Yugi was there to see him kick the bug duelist out of the tournament. He felt Mai would have been proud of him, too, if she had seen the duel, and if she noted his progress as a duelist. He wondered how her duels were going, if she had qualified yet.

"That was some seriously impressive dueling back there, Joey," Tristan told him. "You sent Weevil running out of Battle City like a roach from a spray can!"

Joey's ego was inflated a bit. "I guess I was the star of the show today, wasn't I? I had some fans I didn't even know about; I crushed Weevil, what a duel, huh? And plus, I got that termite's rarest card, the Insect Queen." The blonde held the card with pride.

"You know, Joey, you should have taken Great Moth," said Tristan. "It's even more powerful than Insect Queen."

"I would have, but I don't have the Cocoon of Evolution or Larvae Moth…can't afford those right now."

"Never mind that, Joey," said Tèa. "You have a rare card you totally deserve. So for, you have defeated two top-ranked duelists, and both of them turned out to be major cheaters."

Joey just noticed that, and realized Tèa was right. "Yeah…why am _I _the one attracting these freaks?"

Mr. Mutou chuckled. "It's good practice, Joey. Dueling Weevil and Espa Roba prepared you for anything. You're on your way to becoming an experienced duelist. "

"You're right, Gramps. Eat your heart out, Yugi!" The blonde started laughing excitedly. He had to admit it was true his had opponents pushed him to do his best, to apply everything Mr. Mutou had taught him.

"I hope Yugi's other duels will go well," said Tèa thoughtfully. Ishizu's warning about ancient evil forces was still worrying her. And she still wanted to watch at least one of his duels.

"Oh, I'm sure they will," said Tristan confidently. "You know it takes a lot to defeat him."

"I know, but at this point I'm not so sure. I mean, there's no telling what the enemy is capable of."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Come on. The guy is a creep, but he's got nothing on Yuge."

"I hope you're right."

Tristan gave Tèa a look. "Enough of that now. Joey needs another challenge."

"Oh right."

Unbeknownst to the group, Marik had his rare hunters spying on them. He was thinking of a back-up plan just in case this plan to destroy Yugi didn't work, which he hoped wouldn't be the case. _'Follow them my hunter. You'll need them all soon,'_ he mentally told his henchmen who were all over Battle City. He gave an evil laugh.

* * *

After a fairly long journey, Marik had finally arrived in Domino City and was now docking at the Domino Harbor in his ship. Most of the time, he stood on deck to keep an eye on all the people in Battle City. He had been looking forward to this moment for so long, and he was _not_ going to allow any delays. "The time has come for my arrival. Everything seems to be in place, but before I set foot in Battle City, I have one more task to complete. If all goes as planned, the power of the pharaoh will be mine!"

His servant Odion came to check on him. "Master Marik…is it time? The Quiet One waits."

"Yes. I will use him to eliminate Yugi Mutou once and for all. And then, I'll dispose of the pharaoh and take that puzzle. Hahaha!" He felt very prepared for this duel and he was confident he would succeed this time. The plan was too elaborate and fool proof not to work.

Keren could feel the ship slowing down, and peeked outside her window to see how far it had to go. She was pleased to see the journey was just about over. Such a long trip bearing the excruciating pain in her finger was almost too much. She did bandage it with a handkerchief, but that didn't do anything. The agony was still very much immense. She very rarely used painkillers but this was a time she wished she had some in her possession. As much as she wanted to see Ishizu when she got off the ship, first thing on her list would be to go and see a doctor. Now she knew why Ishizu had told her to be careful. She had tried her best to heed the warning, despite something beyond her control occurring.

She ran her good hand through her hair. All she could think about was the close call she had that day with the rare hunters. She was sure she wouldn't be able to forget it for awhile, either. It was too traumatizing. She didn't want to think about what would have happened if she hadn't reacted when she did. She couldn't find enough words to describe her gratitude towards Marik for dealing with the caped men, even if he did so harshly. She wondered if Odion knew about what the rare hunters had tried to do to her, and if so, what did he think. A part of her wanted him to come and see her again. She thought maybe he would be able to soothe her distress. She wondered if that was childish of her to wish. She decided to read for the rest of the trip.

* * *

Some teenagers were hanging out at the plaza. They had seen Strings standing on the bench, as if he was frozen in place. At first, the young people didn't know what to make of it.

"This dude hasn't moved in like three hours," said one of the boys.

"He's a mime genius," one teen remarked. "He stands there all quiet and we're supposed to be impressed."

"I don't get it guys," said a girl with orangey red hair. "Is he pretending to be a statue or something?"

The guy with the blonde hair started waving his hand in front of the mind puppet's face, in an attempt to wake him up. "Earth to mime dude! Is anyone home in that bald head of yours?"

The teen girl was becoming a bit impatient. "Hello, are you gonna move or what?"

Marik was amused by their chattering and bafflement. _'What silly mortals. They want this puppet awake? I'll awaken him all right.' _ He telepathically ordered the mime to wake up. A millennium symbol appeared on his forehead and he abruptly opened his eyes. The teens were startled by how sudden his movement was and wondered if he had been sleeping. They jumped back.

The red haired girl wondered, "Was it something that I said?"

Strings got out his duel disk and slipped it on.

"Now locate Yugi Mutou!" Marik instructed the puppet. Strings leapt off the bench with such lightning speed that the teenagers were caught by surprise. He scurried off, with the teens staring after him in disbelief.

"That was totally weird," said the blonde young man.

'_I will use one of my two Egyptian God cards to devastate him!' _ said Marik, laughing.

* * *

Yugi was standing in front of a waterway, thinking of the impending duel with another of Marik's ruthless minions. He wasn't sure what to expect from The Quiet One, but based on him having an Egyptian God card, he figured this battle would be exigent to say the least. He was still feeling unsettled about the way he ended up in this situation. Yami appeared, and asked him if something was wrong.

"It's just that Marik keeps on talking about killing you and taking your power for himself. But you are the Pharaoh. If you really had all this power, wouldn't you have known about it? You must have if you saved the world. But what happened?"

Yami frowned slightly. He wished he had an answer for the question but the only thing he knew of his past was what Ishizu had revealed to him before the tournament began. "It's all still unclear."

"Well I do know Marik's family have been protecting your family for years and for some reason, he has gotten this crazy idea that he's worthy of being the pharaoh instead of you. And I will do everything I can do to make sure he doesn't get away with it. As long as he can't defeat us in a duel he cannot take your life or the millennium puzzle. Destiny brought the puzzle to me, and even though I didn't know it when I first put it together, I feel like I was meant to have it, and we are bonded forever. I will help you save the world, just as you did in the past. You may have had do it alone the first time, but this time around you have support from me and our friends. You will never lose with our support."

"Thank you, Yugi. Your friendship means a great deal to me."

"Together we will find out your past and put a stop to Marik's plan. I just hope I am strong enough to hold my own, should I ever have to."

Yami thought his hikari didn't have enough faith in his abilities. "You've already proven your strength, Yugi. Your courage and determination are as great as I've ever seen. I've said it before. You have the heart of a pharaoh."

Yugi appreciated the confidence, but he still wasn't so sure. But he would have to try his best since he couldn't keep relying on Yami's help.

Yami sensed evil…a very familiar one at that. "I sense a dark presence approaching." He decided to retreat.

"Huh?" Yugi was disoriented for a second. He wondered why the spirit of his puzzle had retreated, but then felt a sinister force himself, followed by the sound of evil laughter. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

The response was more sinister laughter, and a voice calling his name. He gazed up and saw a bald headed young man with multiple piercings flying through the air towards him. He landed in front of him with precision. Yugi was too taken aback to note this person's agility. "Who are you?" He knew it could be The Quiet One, but he didn't know what the henchman looked like since he appeared so different from the other rare hunters.

The young man just replied, "Prepare to duel! And lose your puzzle and counterpart!"

Those words…only one person had ever threatened him with them. "Marik!"

"Yes. And soon the world will be calling me Pharaoh!"

Yugi just glowered at him. He had such a twisted scheme it wasn't even funny.

Marik saw the scowl on Yugi's face, and figured it was because he had forgotten to introduce his servant. "Oh pardon my rudeness. This is my mindslave, Strings, The Quiet One! And thanks to the power of my millennium rod, he shall defeat you!"

"Coward!" spat Yugi.

Marik chuckled at his archenemy's disapproval. If he only knew how close he was on the way. "We'll meet soon enough, Yugi. But until then, why should I waste my time when I can duel you with my mind puppets? Battling with the power of my millennium rod is no different than you using your puzzle to duel!"

That couldn't be further from the truth. Yugi couldn't allow this madness to continue. Knowing what he had to do, he merged with the spirit of his puzzle.

"That's not true! You force servants to do your dirty work by taking control of their minds against their will! I duel with respect and honor!" said the spirit of the ancient pharaoh.

"And I will do what is necessary to claim that power, especially if it means ending your life!"

Yami still couldn't understand why Marik wanted to kill him, but he knew it could only happen if he was defeated. "To do that, you'll have to defeat me, Marik, and break the heart of the cards, and I can assure you that won't happen."

'_We'll just see how you fare against an Egyptian God card,' _thought Marik.

Through Strings, the tomb keeper looked at Yami with scorn. "Ha! You call yourself a pharaoh? You do not even have the heart of one! So destiny has chosen me to take the power of the pharaoh away from you and then destroy you."

"You are abusing the power of your millennium rod," replied Yami. "The ancient power is not yours to take."

The spirit of his hikari momentarily appeared to show his agreement. "You tell him! There's no way he's getting away with this!"

"I just did."

"Okay." Yugi's spirit disappeared.

Yami angrily faced Marik. "Marik, make your move!"

Just then, Vicki came out of her apartment (which happened to be near the waterway), and wondered what was going on. There was Yugi, who looked taller, standing face to face with an unusual looking guy. It wasn't Yugi being taller that puzzled her; she had seen it a couple of times before and actually got to know the ancient spirit. She was wondering who the guy was. "Yugi!" she called out.

Yami turned around slightly, to face her. "Vicki." Looked like he would have some support for the duel. That would be nice.

"Who is this person?" Vicki inquired.

"Strings, the Quiet One."

"Oh." The name sounded very odd to her. _'What's his business with Yugi, anyway?' _ And she didn't trust the looks he was giving her. She was right to feel that way. Marik was thinking that she would make a good potential pawn if he had to resort to using Yugi's friends to get what he wanted.

* * *

Ishizu was back at the museum after winning another duel. She now had five locator cards. One more and she would have enough to be in the finals. She was somewhat troubled by the latest events she had foreseen regarding Keren, and she was worried about what was to come concerning her brother and Yami as well.

"The wheels of fate are in motion. My brother faces Yami, and although he follows the path of evil, he can be saved. There is good inside him, but in order for his good side to shine, he must fail in his quest to eliminate the pharaoh and obtain his power."

Yami Bakura was standing outside the museum. The arrows on his millennium ring pointed and tugged him forcefully. "I sense there is another millennium item inside. You must show me the way to this item my ring. Soon, all seven items will belong to me." The evil spirit slowly walked up the steps and entered the museum. He couldn't wait to see which item the person held. It would bring him that much closer to being the most powerful being in the world.

Ishizu sensed the evil spirit, and left the room. She knew the spirit was coming after her item, and she couldn't allow that.

The evil spirit continued to follow the force his ring was leading him to. He stopped in a room that contained the stone tablets. All of a sudden, the arrows pointed down. "What's this? The force is gone!"

It was so annoying having his plans ruined, however, the holders of the millennium items could not evade him forever. He took a glance at the stone tablets. "It has been eons since I've laid my eyes on these stone carvings. Once I've obtained all seven millennium items, I can unlock the shadow magic it depicts."

Ishizu thought that was a very close call, and that it was a good thing she hid when she did, especially since Yami Bakura had a little bit of knowledge of the ancient scriptures. "My brother is to be feared more than this spirit. For he wishes to vanquish the pharaoh for a power far more dangerous."

_*Flashback begins*_

_Marik held out the millennium rod threateningly at Ishizu. "You cannot stop me!"_

_It pained Ishizu how much her brother had changed. "You'd use your millennium rod on your own flesh and blood, Marik?" she asked incredulously._

"_If you continue to stand in my way, sister, then yes, I'll have to." An orb of light came from the rod, blinding Ishizu._

_The older sibling placed both hands in front of her face in an attempt to shield herself. "The pharaoh's power isn't yours!" To her relief, the light had no effect on her. She looked up and saw that Marik was nowhere in sight. This Marik was such a stranger to her...and Keren, too. _

_*End Flashback*_

'_Only my brother's failure can save him. He must not succeed, or the entire world will be in jeopardy. The true pharaoh is the only one who can stop him.'_

Ishizu wished for Keren's safety as well, and hoped no other danger would befall her.

* * *

Marik desperately hoped this plan worked so he could focus on what he considered simpler tasks. _'Once I am victorious, the millennium puzzle will be around my neck at last! Then I can focus on stripping Kaiba of the third Egyptian God card! Once I possess all three, I will combine their strength! And in accordance with the ancient scriptures, I'll drain the power of the pharaoh himself and he will be no more! Nothing can stop me, Battle City and the world will tremble at my feet!'_

"Your plan will never work, Marik!" Yami told him.

Marik sneered at his greatest foe. "I'm afraid it already has! I have drawn you into a duel, you can't possibly win! It's all over for you, Pharaoh!"

Yami was becoming tired of Marik's ranting and raving. "All right, Marik! No more talk!" He activated his duel disk. Strings did the same.

"Prepare to be destroyed by the force of my Egyptian God card!"

"I've heard enough!"

"Let's duel!"

Already Vicki thought The Quiet One was a psycho. "Stick it to this nut job, Yugi!"

Yami briefly looked at her. "Right." He turned to face his opponent. "You and your mindslave will never win my puzzle, Marik!"

"I disagree. Now, I set one card faced down, and play this monster in attack mode! Meet Humanoid Slime!" (800 attack points). A liquid human-like being appeared. "This is the beginning of the end for you, Pharaoh! So make your move, and prepare to lose it all!"

"You will fail!" He drew Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts. He didn't let himself make a rash decision just because Marik played a weak monster. _'Hmm, I guess he wants me to attack so he can use his face down card to destroy my monster. I won't let him get away with it. Have to think of a strategy, and fast!' _ "I'll also set one card face down! And then, I'll summon a monster known as Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode! (1500 attack points) A stronger beast than yours!"

"Yes, your monster is almost twice as strong as mine, but don't be so confident your Gazelle will prevail! It takes more than strength to win a duel!"

"I'm well aware of that."

"Then you won't be surprised when my Humanoid Slime annihilates your monster!"

Vicki thought he was nuts. Humanoid Slime didn't stand a chance. She almost choked on her smoothie, trying to hold back her laughter.

"I'd like to see you try that, Marik!"

"Very well. I summon Worm Drake!" The monster consisted of an odious jade and amber coloured worm. Vicki was thinking Marik's deck was an improvement over Weevil's but now she took it back.

Strings used a magic card, Polymerization, to fuse his two monsters together. Yami and Vicki watched as the energies of the two monsters combined together. Vicki wondered just what Strings was trying to create. She would not have to wait for long.

"Behold my new weapon, Humanoid Worm Drake!" announced the mind puppet. "It's 2200 attack points are more than enough to destroy your Gazelle as well as a portion of your life points!"

The brunette had to admit, the Humanoid Worm looked slightly less obnoxious, being that it was made of plasma. This was a nice change.

It seemed to Yami that his opponent didn't know how to follow rules. "When you fuse two monsters together, you must wait one turn before you can attack, so you've left yourself wide open, Marik."

Strings gave a huffy laugh. "That's of no concern to me! Rules were meant to be manipulated, and my faced down card will take care of that task for me. I simply outsmarted you, Pharaoh!"

"Let's see!"

"Just as you wish. Reveal face down card, the Quick Attack magic card!"

It looked like Yami was wrong about Strings being a cheater. "You _can _attack now!"

"Very perceptive! Quick Attack allows my monster to attack in the same turn it was formed! Hmm. You've underestimated me as a duelist, and for that, you must pay a price! So watch closely as I destroy your monster and move one step closer to silencing you forever! I'm afraid you're no match for me, Pharaoh!"

Yami had a grim look on his face, knowing Marik and his mindslave were right. But they were playing right into his hands, and he was one step ahead of them.

Vicki was so annoyed…she wanted to yell at Marik to quit his gloating and just make his move, but Yami seemed to know how to handle him, so she didn't.

"Now watch as my Humanoid Worm attacks! Destroy his Gazelle, my beast!"

The plasma monster prepared to attack with its claws. Yami gave a small grin. "Hold on, Marik!" He stopped the attack with his face down card, De-fusion, which turned the monster back into its original two.

Strings was stunned; Yami was cleverer than he gave him credit for. He was also angry about his plan was thwarted, but then it could turn into a good thing since he planned to destroy him with the Egyptian God card, and he had some preparing to do first. "So you knew my plan at the start?"

"That's right. As soon as you played a monster as weak as Humanoid Slime in attack mode, I knew then and there that you were luring me to attack it, Marik!"

"And I thought you fell for it!"

"That's exactly what I wanted you to think, but it was really I who was luring you to use your hidden magic card so that I could reverse it!"

Strings grunted angrily...Yami really was more formidable than he thought.

Based on Marik's grandstanding, Yami was not expecting him to duel as sloppily as he was. "I was hoping for a far more challenging duel from you, but you've only disappointed me."

"This duel is far from over," said Marik.

"You'll never win my millennium puzzle if you continue dueling like _that_."

"It seems you're as smart as they say you are. But that last turn was only a test! I will not be denied my victory or your puzzle!" He didn't want Yami to think this would be an easy victory, should he defeat him by some miracle.

"You will if you keep making amateur moves!"

"You shall witness my skills in due time! And once I defeat you, I will become Pharaoh and I will slay you! The relentless power of my Egyptian God card will deliver to me your puzzle and assure your death! Prepare to face the force the likes of which you have never seen!"

'_Huh. This nutcase is more of a psycho than I suspected. He isn't scaring anyone with his outrageous threats!' _ thought Vicki.

"Your puzzle and your power will soon be mine!" said Strings.

"Only if you win," the ancient pharaoh reminded him. He still intended to win the duel. He drew his next card, which was Buster Blader. (2600 attack points) _'He's too powerful to waste on the weak monsters. But I am sure he will come in handy once Marik plays something more powerful, so I'll hold it until the time is right.' _

"Now I'll dispose of your weak monsters! I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode. Destroy his Worm Drake now!" Afterwards, he attacked Humanoid Slime with his Gazelle, and the difference between the two monsters took Strings down to 3000 life points. "You have no monsters left to protect you," Yami told the mind puppet.

'_Excellent work I knew you could do it!" _ Vicki mentally congratulated him.

Now that Marik/Strings knew what he was up against, he figured out how to put an end to his foe's winning streak. He just needed the right card and if he drew it, Yami would be in dire straits. "Very impressive dueling. But I'm just testing your strengths and weaknesses so I can destroy you and take away all that you possess! It's time for round two, and things are beginning to get interesting. Are you ready?" He drew a card and it was exactly what he was hoping for. "The card I now hold is like nothing you've ever seen before. It is a creature that simply cannot be destroyed. It's a shapeless being made completely of plasma with no solid mass, making it utterly indestructible, and the perfect defense against enemy attacks!"

The mind slave played Revival Jam in defense mode. Its appearance was just as Marik had described. It looked like a blue ghost. "Just try to attack it! You will fail, I tell you!"

Yami was expecting Marik to play something much more powerful. He was unconvinced that Marik would actually win this duel. "It looks weak to me, Marik!"

"It looks weak, does it? Well take a look at this!" He played a magic card called Jam Breeding Machine. "This is the countdown to your destruction! What's it do, you might ask? Allow me to explain, if you will. Think of it as monster creating machine, breathing life into a new plasma creature every turn. This machine will continue to provide me with more and more plasma beasts called Slime Tokens."(500 attack points)

Yami instantly caught onto the scheme. "Your plan is obvious. You plan to keep creating Slime Tokens until you have enough to sacrifice and summon your Egyptian God card."

"Very observant, Pharaoh. Too bad you won't be able to come up with a way to stop me. Once my breeding machine creates three Slime Tokens, I will be able to summon the beast that will bring about your ultimate destruction. My Egyptian God monster! And then your powers and puzzle will belong to me forever! They will be of no use to you, after your death."

Vicki was fuming when she heard that, and wondered who Marik thought he was, murdering people. She never thought she would come across someone more evil-minded than Weevil. She hoped Yami would make him regret the day he was born.

"Sorry Marik, but as long as I believe in the heart of the cards, your plan will never work. So prepare to lose!"

It was the pharaoh's turn, and he decided now was the perfect time to summon his Buster Blader. If he planned to win, he would have to find a way to prevent Marik from summoning his Egyptian God monster, which meant he had three turns to wipe out his life points. There was no telling how strong the creature was. "I sacrifice my two monsters in order to summon this creature! My all powerful Buster Blader!" A warrior with navy colored armor with yellow lining emerged, clutching a large sword behind his shoulder. "My expert swordsman has the power to wipe out your Revival Jam and more than half of your life points!"

The brunette wasn't surprised. She expected such a monster from a duelist in Yugi's league. She hoped she would get to see his Dark Magician as well.

"Your monster's attack strength is quite impressive, Pharaoh, but it's still useless against my Revival Jam!" said The Quiet One.

"We'll see! Now my sword wielding monster, destroy his Revival Jam!" The magnificent warrior leapt in the air with great amplitude and hacked the plasma creature so forcefully that only small bits of plasma existed...or so it appeared. "Your monster has been splattered!"

But then something truly surprising happened. The bits of plasma began to come back together, and had soon returned to normal, much to Yami's dismay. "What's happening? It's reforming!" So Marik had been right when he said Revival Jam was indestructible.

Vicki couldn't understand it either. "What on earth….?"

Marik enjoyed when he proved his opponent wrong. He had Yami right where he wanted him. "You're surprised? I told you my Revival Jam implored the perfect defense. Even the most powerful sword cannot destroy my monster. It will always reform itself!"

That wasn't good news at all. "So I can't attack?"

"You can. It just won't work! So my Revival Jam will protect my life points, while my breeding machine continues to create monsters for my ultimate sacrifice!"

Okay, so destroying Revival Jam was out of the question. However, there was still another way to wipe out Marik's life points, but it had to be done quickly.

"Your dueling days are almost over," taunted Marik/Strings. "Soon, my breeding machine will have created enough monsters to sacrifice. Then comes your worst nightmare! My Egyptian God card!" Just as Strings drew a card, he activated the Jam Breeding Machine, which produced a small pear shaped baby blue plasma being—the Slime Token. He laid a card face down. "Only two turns left, then you'll meet your doom!"

Yami figured out a possible way of wiping out Marik's life points. If it was successful, he could win. "I may not be able to stop your breeding machine but your plan has one tragic flaw, Marik. The rules state you have to sacrifice three Slime Tokens to summon your one Egyptian God card, but what happens if I destroy them first? You see your Slime Tokens are defenseless against the superior power of my Buster Blader. I can take them out with no resistance, and more importantly, each time Buster Blader destroys one of your Slime Tokens you'll lose over two thousand life points because they're so feeble! So according to my calculations, in two turns you'll be defeated!"

The ancient pharaoh called an attack on the Slime Token, but Strings activated a trap card called Jam Defender. The card intercepted the Revival Jam in front of the Slime Token, causing the defensive monster to absorb the attack instead.

"What's this? Revival Jam shielded your monster!" Now how was he going to wipe out Marik's life points, given that Jam Defender was a continuous trap card?

"Exactly! As long as Revival Jam stays in defense mode, the Jam Defender forces it to absorb all of your attacks, which means every one of your attacks will be blocked!" And just like before, the plasma monster reformed itself.

"You see I knew you'd attack my Slime Tokens in a desperate attempt to stop me from summoning my Egyptian God monster, so I've protected them with an indestructible force!"

Yami grunted in frustration. He knew he hoped for a challenging duel from Marik, but not like this.

"The end is near!" continued Strings. He drew a card, and activated his breeding machine once again, producing the second Slime Token.

"I've got to stop this," said Yami grimly. The thing was he didn't know how. This was one of _the _toughest spots he had ever been in.

"I'm afraid there's only one turn left, Pharaoh. Then I'll summon my Egyptian God monster to destroy you. But just to be safe, I think I'll play this magic card, Nightmare Steel Cage, to make sure you can't attack me for the next two turns. Not that you'll be around that long!"

Yami watched as a semi-circular pen appeared around him and his monster. Vicki found the whole thing hard to watch, but her faith in him was unshaken.

"Now all you can do is just watch as I summon the most powerful force you've ever seen to annihilate you!"

Yami looked dismal. Marik was right. At this rate, his chances of victory were extremely bleak. First all of his attacks were rendered useless, now he was trapped for two whole turns, which meant Marik would succeed in summoning the Egyptian God monster for sure. That meant even if he was able to get rid of the cage somehow, he still would have an immensely strong creature to deal with...but he was determined to find a weakness.

'_Soon, the millennium puzzle and the pharaoh's power will belong to me forever! Hahahahaha!'_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Yami was trying to figure a way out of his tight spot, which he did not have much time to do. Now that he thought about it, there was something he could do. He knew it wouldn't be a huge comeback, but at least he wouldn't be immobilized, either. This was a turn he _really _couldn't waste, for the outcome of the duel could depend on it.

"It seems you're out of options, Pharaoh! You might as well give up while you can! In one more turn you'll be finished and your powers will belong to me!"

Yami was not going to let Marik's taunting rattle him, no matter what. "Never! As long as I trust in the heart of the cards, you won't succeed in your plan."

"Your misguided faith is completely pathetic when compared with the overwhelming power of an Egyptian God, a creature with unbeatable strength to destroy you!"

Vicki was almost afraid to see this creature if it really was as strong as Marik said. If it really had god-like powers then that could mean big trouble for Yugi. However, one thing she learned from being his friend was anything was possible. It seemed farfetched, but something told her he would find some way out of this jam. "Come on Yugi! You have to make the most of this turn! I have your back!"

'_Vicki is right. I have to draw the right card this turn or I'm doomed,' _Yugi thought.

Marik/Strings sneered at the teen girl. _'You foolish girl. You're so naïve. Well, I will deal your pathetic friend the most humiliating defeat ever. We'll see what happens to your faith then.' _

"History may be on your side, but destiny is on my side as I move closer to defeating you! If I were you, I would use this last turn wisely. Not that it matters. You are not worthy of the powers you possess, so I will seize them from you. For as long as I can remember I was raised to obey the ancient scriptures and help my family protect the pharaoh's tomb, only to discover the pharaoh placed a curse on my family that I had to endure under this ludicrous servitude! Now I have realized it's time to make you experience the misery and suffering I have felt!"

'_Whoa,' _thought Vicki. _'Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed.' _ She wondered what he was talking about. Although she hadn't known the spirit of the puzzle very well, she knew him well enough to believe the accusations Marik made against him were false. After all, he had been nice enough to her, winning her rarest card back for her. She would never be able to thank him enough for that.

Yami was speechless. The previous times he and Marik exchanged words, the tombkeeper was almost maniacal with his evil plot and somewhat envious. He was still a bit of those, but now there was a touch of bitterness and anger, emotions he had never really shown before. Not towards him, anyway. The pharaoh wasn't sure what he had done to him, but he knew he had to win the duel and the whole tournament so he could find out. He drew a card, and smiled slightly. He had drawn Dust Tornado. _'Awesome! I can use this card to get rid of Marik's Nightmare Steel Cage. But then I won't be able to stop him from creating the last Slime Token. I will just prepare a defense.' _

"You can't attack!" said Marik/Strings.

"You're right! However, I can do this! I play Dust Tornado! This trap card allows me to destroy any magic or trap card I choose! And I will use it to get rid of your steel cage!"

"No!"

"Yes! Now Dust Tornado, blow away Nightmare Steel Cage with your storm!" The winds of the cyclone swept away the cage, making it evaporate into steam. "I play Berfomet in defense mode! (1800 defense points) That ends my turn!"

For a moment, Marik/Strings was stunned that his opponent actually found a way around his trap. But it did not really matter to him. "Impressive you destroyed my Nightmare Steel Cage. However, it was a waste of your turn, for you still can't attack me. And your time has run out!"

Yami was aware of this, which was why he made the move he did. "Enough talk, Marik! Just go!"

"Very well. I do so with pleasure!" Marik/Strings drew another card, and the final Slime Token was produced. Marik's lips spread into an evil grin as his plan was coming to fruition. "I sacrifice my Jam Breeder and my three Slime Tokens in order to summon the beast of your ultimate destruction! A creature whose attack power is absolutely limitless!" When the machine and the three miniscule plasma monsters disappeared, it looked like they were dissolving in water. Darkness began to cloak the sky, as if there was about to be a thunderstorm. A touch of lightning proceeded to flash. Yami, not liking the looks of this, watched with a stone grey expression.

"Meet your maker, Pharaoh! The last monster you'll ever see, the Egyptian God Slifer the Sky Dragon!" At first, the sight of this dragon was blurred, but Yami could see that it was long. Vicki, too.

"You're finished, Yami!" declared Marik. "Prepare to feel its wrath!"

The dragon was finally in full view. It was orange and enormously long, and had two sets of jaws, brimming with sharp teeth that looked like a dentist's nightmare. Yami could sense its power, and it certainly intimidated him. "How can I stop it?" he apprehensively wondered.

The dragon roared ferociously._ 'Well it's official,' _thought Vicki. _'I will never make fun of Rosie for her superstitions again after this.' _

"There's nothing you can do, Yami. You're faced with one of the most feared creatures in all of Duel Monsters! Stare into the face of defeat!"

"Every monster has its weakness, Marik! And I'll find yours!" There was no way he was going to let Marik win.

"You're in no position to make threats! You only have two weak monsters guarding your life points, and they will be destroyed one by one! You don't have a card in your deck that can stop my all powerful Egyptian God monster! All you can do is watch it grow stronger."

This was very bad news. "Stronger? But how?" inquired the three thousand year old spirit.

"Allow me to explain how Slifer works. Its attack points are determined by the amount of cards I hold in my hand, and because I am holding two cards, Slifer has 2000 attack points."

"Well it's still weaker than my Buster Blader."

"That will all change, thanks to this move." Strings played his Pot of Greed magic card, which let him draw two more cards. "Greed is good." He grinned evilly. "I've lost one card but gained two."

While Strings was taking his turn, Yami was trying to clear his mind, blocking out Strings' threats and insults. He figured out a weakness Slifer had, although Marik himself seemed to be oblivious to it. "In Duel Monsters, there is a limit to how many cards the player can hold, which means that Slifer has a limit to its strength."

"Ha! Foolish Pharaoh! Don't you realize that every rule was meant to be broken? " Marik was never one to follow rules, though he never outwardly cheated. _'He has no understanding of the destructive force of an Egyptian God monster because he has no memory of the days when they devastated the earth! But he will learn about Slifer's strength the hard way! I have just the cards to give my dragon infinite power!' _

"I'm afraid any hope of survival is completely in vain, for no one has ever defeated an Egyptian God," stated Marik.

Yami thought it was unbecoming of his opponent to let his overconfidence blind him. "Until now." He would defeat the dragon if it was the last thing he did.

"You're a fool. Slifer will wipe you out with one single attack. It's only a matter of time before I destroy you and kill you in the most painful way possible!"

Yami gritted his teeth. Marik was really trying his patience.

'_Getting rid of the Nightmare Steel Cage was a nice start. But I have to keep the comeback going, which means I will have to figure out a way to bring down Marik's dragon. Let's see. My Buster Blader gets 500 attack points for every dragon on the field or in the graveyard. I need a good card this turn before Slifer becomes too powerful to destroy.'_

It was Strings' turn. He drew a card, which gave his monster 4000 attack points. "Say goodbye, Pharaoh. Your pathetic defensive monsters won't be enough to guard your life points. My dragon is powerful enough to annihilate your Buster Blader and seriously damage your life points!"

"Your reign is over, Yami," said Marik. "Surrender this duel to me."

"This duel is far from over, Marik! I have a few surprises in store for you!"

Marik thought Yami was bluffing. In his mind, the God card was unstoppable. He respected the determination of the one-time ruler of Egypt, but found the tenacity to be foolish as well. "How sad. You're finished. Just embrace it. You've had your chance to prove you were a worthy pharaoh, which you hadn't. It's time for me to teach you a lesson on true sovereignty. "

'_I don't think so, Marik. You don't even come close to having what it takes. It's my duty to stop you,' _thought Yugi.

"No. I'll go on trusting my deck." Yami drew a card from his deck. The card he drew was Lightforce Sword. _'This card may be able to help. I do need to go on the offensive if I want to win this duel. I can't keep on putting up defenses. But maybe I need to begin by setting a trap for him.' _ "I place two cards face down and I summon Kuriboh in defense mode! Make your move, Marik." Now he had three monsters on the field, guarding his life points.

"The moment has now arrived! Prepare to fall at the hands of my Egyptian God card! It possesses a force so mighty it almost destroyed the entire world!" The dragon roared menacingly at Yami. Vicki fanned herself, as if she was trying to get rid of a noxious stench.

"All right, let's end this! Go my dragon, incinerate his Buster Blader!"

But Yami was ready. "You've activated my trap card!" He revealed one of his face down cards.

Marik was shocked. "Trap card?"

"Yes! My Lightforce Sword which slashes one card out of your hand for the duration of the turn!" The small dagger went flying like a dart and slashed one card Strings was holding.

"No!" Marik was infuriated his plan had been thwarted. _'You're only prolonging your defeat, Pharaoh.' _

Yami realized this was his opening for a counterattack. "Buster Blader, swing your mighty sword and slay his dragon!"

The blue armored warrior raised his sword to attack the large dragon.

"Your Egyptian God is defeated!" announced Yami. But unfortunately Revival Jam moved in front of the Egyptian God monster and took the hit.

"Not exactly. My Jam Defender is still in play, which intercepts all of your attacks!" Just like the previous turns when the plasma monster was attacked, it reformed as if there was never an onslaught. Marik played a magic card called Card of Safe Return. "This card will allow me to draw 3 cards every time Revival Jam regenerates. " The sky dragon was 5000 attack points as a result.

"Five thousand points?" Yami asked. "Now what?" The situation for him was deteriorating rapidly. At this rate he would not last much longer. He didn't have any monsters in his deck that were strong enough to even scratch Marik's monster, let alone defeat it. And all of his attacks were useless anyway. Unless…

"All right my dragon, destroy his Buster Blader! And take a bite out of Yami's life points!" The behemoth emitted lightning at the warrior, disintegrating it. This attack lowered Yami's life points to 2100.

"I wiped out nearly half of your life points, Yami! And soon your two defense monsters will be demolished. Do you surrender yet? You're finished. Slifer the sky dragon will grow even more powerful as I draw more cards, and thanks to my trap card and my Revival Jam, you still can't attack."

Yami was in such a bad situation that giving up sounded almost tempting, but he wasn't going to do such a thing. No way. There was too much at stake for that.

"Don't even think about listening to this psycho!" Vicki called out. She was so sick of Strings being overbearing, she wanted to see him squirm for a change. She decided to have a snack. She took a jelly-bun out of her bento, removed the wrapping and proceeded to nibble on the pastry.

'_Thank you, Vicki,' _thought Yami.

Marik was becoming annoyed with his enemy's persistence. "Don't you realize you can't win? Hand over your puzzle and forfeit the duel. Once my sky dragon defeats you, your days as pharaoh will be over."

'_Okay. None of my monsters are strong enough to beat a sky dragon, so I will need the right magic or trap card which can possibly get past his Jam Defender and Revival Jam. Please…heart of the cards…guide me.'_ "Here I go! Now!" Yami drew a card, which was Magic Cylinder. A card that could probably do the trick, but it had to be combined with a magician monster card to work. And he happened to be holding Dark Magician, the new one he had won from Arkana. But he couldn't risk attacking with him. "I sacrifice my Kuriboh and Berfomet, to summon my Dark Magician in defense mode!" The spellcaster emerged, crouched down on one knee.

Vicki's heart burst with joy. She had been waiting to see Dark Magician in action. He looked a bit creepier than she remembered seeing him while watching televised duels, but oh well. At least she got her chance to see him.

Strings started laughing. "By summoning a new monster to the field, you've activated my Slifer's special ability! "

"Oh no." The monster was stronger than Yami had suspected.

"Its second mouth! Hahaha!"

"Slifer is full of surprises."

"Even if it's your turn, Slifer automatically attacks every monster you summon with its second set of jaws, wiping out 2000 points from whatever mode your monster is in! So say goodbye to your Dark Magician!"

Yami didn't like this. _'Well Dark Magician does have 2100 defense points, so that means he will survive. But the attack will leave him barely alive, and I need him to carry out my strategy.' _

Marik/Strings ordered an attack on the Dark Magician. The dragon shot a white lightning ball at the magician.

Yami saw that his magician was in great danger and knew he had to act swiftly. "It's time to save my Dark Magician." He played a magic card.

"It's too late! Observe!" The lightning was dangerously close to the spellcaster, but the magic card activated just in time.

"Why don't _you _observe!" The lightning bolt seemed to have no effect.

Vicki agreed wholeheartedly. Marik was always so busy grandstanding that he failed to pay attention.

"It really is a pity that your magician had to leave us so soon." Strings feigned pity.

Vicki was nauseated by the mind puppet's false pity. Good thing she wasn't the one dueling him otherwise she would have told him a thing or two.

Yami chuckled. "Who said he's gone?"

"_I _did," responded Marik. There was no way Yami could have outsmarted him again. The lightning bolt dissipated and made crackling sounds, revealing he was wrong.

"Guess again. I activated magical hats just in time," said Yami a bit smugly.

Vicki thought things were getting better and better. "Great trick, Yugi!" She always enjoyed a good magic trick. Her friend's cleverness never ceased to amaze her.

Marik's smirk faltered. Just how many times was Yami going to outmaneuver him? "So he's hiding inside one of those hats?"

"Not just hiding. He's inside preparing to launch a counterattack."

Marik thought the ancient spirit had absolutely lost it. "Yami…your monster is not strong enough! Not to defeat Slifer!" He laughed again.

Yami wasn't fazed by the laughter. "In this situation, you shouldn't be laughing. It's true your dragon is powerful, Marik, but I have faith." He placed two cards beneath the Magical Hats and ended his turn. If this move didn't work, he wasn't sure what would.

"Your hats merely provide you with a temporary hiding place, Pharaoh. In the mean time I will play my own magic card, and it will make my dragon's power infinite!" Marik/Strings played the magic card Infinite Cards, which let him exceed the six card limit and hold as many as he liked.

"No! It can't be!" At this rate he could lose if his strategy did not work. He hoped it would.

"Since Slifer gets 1000 attack points for every card in my hand, now there's no limit to my monster's power! Slifer, unleash your thunder force on the right hand hat!"

That happened to be the correct hat. The dragon emanated yellowish lightning at the hat containing the magician. "You made a lucky guess, Marik!"

"You couldn't hide him forever!"

Yami kept his cool since he had a surprise for Marik inside the Magic Hat. "This duel is not over!"

"It may as well be! Your monster is destroyed!" But then there was truly a shocking sight. The hat was gone, but instead of the Dark Magician being destroyed, he was holding two cylinders, using one of them to absorb the attack. Marik wasn't expecting this, and frankly he was enraged. Yami had ruined his scheme for the last time.

"It seems, Marik, you have forgotten I hid two trap cards under that hat! Magic Cylinder and my Spell Binding Circle. I will weaken your sky dragon's power, and then redirect his own Thunder attack right back at him! Fire!" The magician pointed his staff, and launched the thunder with the other cylinder. "Say goodbye, Marik!"

Marik gave a devious grin. He took so much pleasure in fooling his opponents. "Never! You can't attack me with my Revival Jam in play!" Sure enough, Revival Jam stymied the attack, and reformed.

Yami was severely dismayed and stunned that his plan didn't work. "So your plasma monster can even block redirected attacks?"

"That's exactly right, Pharaoh. Then it regenerates unharmed. This also means I can draw 3 new cards." Slifer had been 4300 attack points when the Spell Binding Circle card weakened it, and was 7300 when Strings drew the three cards. Infinite Cards let him draw another one, making his monster an astonishing 8300 attack points.

"That Egyptian God is unstoppable." Doubt was beginning to rear its head, which was unlike Yami most times. But he remembered nothing about the Egyptian God cards.

"Precisely." It gave Marik great satisfaction that it looked like Yami was willing to admit defeat. "Since your Spell Binding Circle card has expired, Slifer gains even more attack points, giving him 9000! Now Slifer, demolish his Dark Magician!" The mighty Egyptian God monster attacked the spellcaster with great vigor. So much power was demonstrated that even Vicki who was a mere mortal felt shivers going down her spine. She nearly dropped her jelly bun.

"Behold the ultimate five card combination that makes me completely indestructible!" said Marik. "When these five almighty cards are played together, they complete a strategy that cannot be defeated! My Egyptian God monster will continue to grow stronger! And your attacks are completely useless!"

As much as Yami hated to admit it, Marik was right. He could not attack and the monster was much too strong even if he was able to. At this point, he was not sure what to do. True, his magician was in defense mode so he hadn't lost any points but now his life points were wide open. He dropped to his knees. "I can't let him destroy me." He was sweating profusely and was extremely dispirited. Vicki hated seeing him like this. She didn't think it suited him. She especially loathed Marik for putting him in this situation.

"Get on your feet Yugi!" ordered a very chilly sounding voice. Uh oh. That voice was all too familiar to Vicki. She remembered it from the day Seto Kaiba did his little 'pep-talk' before the tournament. She looked up and saw it was indeed the tournament host, with his younger brother next to him. She was so dissatisfied to see Seto Kaiba that she lost her appetite. She retrieved the saran wrap, repackaged the jelly filled bun and placed it back in her bento. Mokuba seemed nice enough when she first met him, but she simply had no time for the likes of people who wanted to turn a simple card game into world domination or a power trip. Even so, she still had Yugi's back.

Yami, however, was shocked to see Kaiba. "Kaiba! What are you doing here?"

The teen CEO ignored Yami's question. "Since when do you bow to your adversaries?"

Yami could see that Kaiba was helping him in his own blunt way and he did feel sheepish for being in this state. "Never!"

"Then get up and pull yourself together so you can defeat this nobody and relieve him of his Egyptian God card. And do it now. Don't let this punk win! The only one who is worthy to be called my rival is you. So don't you dare rob me of a chance to face you in a rematch. Slifer may have brought you to your knees but you can move ahead and strike back if you find out its weakness. If you still have what it takes to do that, then get up and prove it to me now!" _'Once I find out its weakness, I will win it from Yugi, and the title of Duel King will belong to me!'_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

* * *

Vicki found Kaiba's attempt at a pep talk to be rather lame. She felt like screaming that Yugi didn't have to prove anything to him. The only reason she didn't was because she agreed with him on one thing—Yugi couldn't let Strings beat him. All she knew was if she were ever in trouble, she wouldn't ask the CEO for any advice.

"Stand up Yugi, and take down his Egyptian God card!" continued Kaiba.

Yami got to his feet. "Wait for me, Kaiba. I will defeat him," he assured his rival.

"You'd better."

Yami turned to glare at his opponent. "Marik, it's over!"

"Ha! My Egyptian God monster is unstoppable!" Strings/Marik thought he heard Kaiba's voice, and so he looked up. Sure enough, there he was, a few feet away from Vicki. Perfect. "It is so wonderful to see you, Kaiba. How fitting it is that you're here to witness Yugi's destruction. And you happen to be my next victim. Once Slifer annihilates Yugi I will strip you of _your _Egyptian God card!"

The former world dueling champion gave the controlled puppet a look of scorn. "Save your breath. Your empty threats don't scare me!"

"They will in time, fool!"

'_Hmph. Not likely. How ridiculous. Only I have what it takes to defeat Yugi.' _

Yami was thinking of how he could defeat Marik's dragon. _'Problem is his monster has 10, 000 attack points and none of my monsters come close to that. The best I can do for now is put up a defense once again.' _His draw was Monster Reborn, which could come in handy. "I play one card face down, and summon Big Shield Gardna to the field in defense mode!"

Marik/Strings chuckled. "Have you forgotten that every monster you summon to the field activates my Dragon's special ability? Let me remind you by blasting your monster!" The humongous beast fired its lightning blast at the shield. "This surge of energy from my dragon's second mouth will drain 2000 points from your shield!" The Gardna groaned as the lightning blast penetrated his shield and felt most of his strength leaving his body.

Mokuba didn't like this. "Oh no! Yugi won't last much longer!" he told his older brother.

'_Slifer is even more formidable than Obelisk and a battle between the two would result in a clash. I must win Slifer for myself.'_

But when the explosions ensued, Big Shield Gardna was still there. Severely weakened, but there.

The younger Kaiba was amazed. "Look, Seto! Yugi's monster survived the attack!"

"Barely."

"Your Big Shield has been cut down to size!" said Strings. "My sky dragon will continue to automatically devastate your monsters as soon as they're summoned to the field." The possessed mime gave an evil chuckle. "Just one more attack and your only defense will be demolished, leaving nothing between you and Slifer. Where's your faith in the cards now, Pharaoh?" He drew another card which gave his dragon a nearly insurmountable 11,000 attack points.

"Just when I think things couldn't get more bizarre," commented Vicki.

Mokuba found this to be incredulous! He had never seen a monster as strong as Slifer. "Wow! Eleven thousand points! That's already more than 3 times the attack strength of your Blue Eyes White Dragon, Seto."

"Yes, and it'll only grow stronger. Yugi's opponent has Infinite Cards in play, which enables him to hold as many cards as he wants."

"And the more cards in his hand, the more attack points his dragon has. That means there's no limit to how strong his Egyptian God card can grow."

'_Or is there?' _ _Slifer's power depends on how many cards the player has in his entire deck._ Suddenly Kaiba pieced it together, knowing what the new discovery meant. _'That's it! Slifer the Sky Dragon has one fatal flaw! Let's see if Yugi has enough fortitude to figure out that this "infinity" is just a pretense.'_

"All right, my sky dragon, eradicate this fool's shield!" Marik/Strings commanded. The dragon obliterated the shield with its thunder attack, leaving Yami with no monsters on the field to protect him.

"You're completely defenseless, Pharaoh," said Strings, rubbing it in. "The next time my sky dragon attacks, you'll be finished! It's undefeatable, you fool!"

Yami had assured Kaiba that he would defeat Marik/Strings, and he never intentionally went back on his word. Still, he was at a loss of how to do so. With every turn, Slifer became more powerful every time he drew a card. That was when it hit him! The answer had been in front of him the entire time. "I will make Slifer the Sky Dragon destroy itself!"

Those were just the words Kaiba was waiting to hear. He had been thinking if Yugi had decided to give up, that meant he wasn't the duelist he thought he was.

Mokuba never heard of such a thing. "What's he mean?"

Vicki pondered, "Is that even possible?" The duel was so much like a rollercoaster for her. She hoped Yugi would be able to pull the plan off, however he was going to do it.

"What makes you think you can?" asked Strings.

Yami smiled as he began his explanation. "It's a simple matter of common sense. If my monsters are too weak, then I must use your monster to destroy itself."

Marik/Strings thought Yami was an ignorant fool. "Haven't you realized that an Egyptian God monster cannot be controlled? It's much too powerful, Pharaoh!"

"We'll see," said Yami. "I suspect you don't have as much knowledge about the Egyptian God cards as you think you do. After all, you've been so busy abusing the ancient scriptures that you have not learnt their strengths and weaknesses. "

That assessment infuriated Marik/Strings. He was not going to be played for a fool by someone who didn't even have any memory of the Egyptian Gods. "How _dare _you challenge my wisdom of the ancient ways?! I know all!"

"We'll see how much you know soon enough, Marik!"

"I'd like to see you try to turn Slifer against me!"

Mokuba found the whole thing disbelieving as well. _'What's Yugi talking about? Sure, he's a great duelist, but how can he make an Egyptian God card destroy itself? That dragon seems way too strong to be controlled. Sounds crazy to me!' _ He turned to his big brother. "Seto? Do you know what's going on?"

"Just keep watching and you will see that the dragon's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness."

Mokuba still didn't know what that meant, but decided to trust his brother. "Okay…"

"Time for you to make your move!" said Strings. "I promise it'll be your last!"

Yami grinned self-assuredly. "Is that so? We'll see!" He prepared to draw his card, cautious all the while. _'If I don't draw the card I need, his sky dragon will crush me. But I know the heart of the cards will guide me.' _ He drew the card and slowly took a glance at it. He was pleased to see it was just the right card, and his faith had paid off. He held it up in the air.

Strings wondered what was on Yami's mind. "Well? What is it? Anything worth using in your final turn?"

Yami smiled. "Actually it's just what I need to take you down!"

'_That's right, Yugi! Win that God card so we can battle for it. The Egyptian God cards choose the better duelist to be their master, and it'll be me.' _

"Time to lose!" Yami revealed his face down card, Monster Reborn.

"What good will that do?"

"This card lets me bring back one monster from the graveyard, and I choose to resurrect my mighty Buster Blader!" The warrior reappeared glowing, as if to show its hidden power.

Strings couldn't believe his eyes. He wondered if Yami had given up or was just desperate. "What? My dragon has already destroyed that monster. Plus summoning it to defend your life points will only delay your ultimate defeat!"

"It's not defending. Take a closer look, Marik. Buster Blader has been summoned in attack mode!"

'_What a thoughtless move,' _thought Marik. _"With his Buster Blader in attack mode not only will my dragon's blast eliminate his monster, but the remainder of his life points will be depleted! Destroying him was a simpler task than I thought. '_

"I have realized I cannot win a duel by just defending my life points. This is why I have been trying to go on the offensive. I will now risk one final sword attack by Buster Blader, which is necessary for me to implement my strategy."

"You're more of a fool than I thought," scoffed Strings. "You've left yourself wide open for my monster to defeat you. Have you forgotten about my five card combination that makes Slifer the Sky Dragon completely indestructible? Perhaps you need a reminder, Pharaoh!" Strings drew 3 more cards, making his monster an astronomical 14,000 attack points.

"Fourteen thousand attack points?" questioned Mokuba. "That's nuts!"

Vicki thought so too, but she just wanted to see what Yugi had planned.

"By resurrecting Buster Blader, you have also activated my dragon's second mouth! It will blast two thousand points from your monster!"

Yami wasn't worried, for his monster was strong enough to survive the attack. And for the first time since the duel began, he felt positive this scheme would turn Marik's strategy upside down and win him the duel. So that meant Marik/Strings could deride him all he wanted to. The second mouth attack left Buster Blader with just 1100 points. Strings found the sight of the weakened monster to be uproarious.

"My Egyptian God card has reduced your monster into the pathetic mess barely standing before you! My next attack will finish you off forever! " All Yami did was glower at him. He thought Marik was a fool for thinking he would actually succeed in his twisted plan.

"Your Buster Blader may have survived that attack, but you won't be so lucky next time," said Strings. "Your reign as Pharaoh is almost over, so prepare to die, with all of your powers infused within me! In my next turn your monster and your life points will be completely wiped out."

The ancient spirit was appalled by Marik's delusions of victory. "I'm afraid there isn't going to be a next turn for you. When my monster attacks, _you'll_ be defeated. Watch as my plan to slay your so called indestructible dragon begins!"

Marik's smugness turned into shock, then into utter amusement. He still couldn't believe the pharaoh was making what he considered to be a foolish move. Well, he would punish his bitter enemy for the fatal mistake, or so he thought.

Mokuba thought Yami was making a very hasty and reckless move. Not like him at all. _'Has Yugi lost it? His Buster Blader won't even scratch Slifer the Sky Dragon.' _

But his older brother thought this was interesting, and how he would have made pretty much the same move. _'If Yugi's plan works, my suspicions on how to defeat Slifer will be confirmed.'_

But Strings just laughed. Slifer being defeated by a weak monster? Impossible! This he had to see, for once Buster Blader attacked, that would provoke retaliation by Slifer. "I'm ready for your pathetic attack!"

'_This is it. Someone is about to lose this duel,'_ thought Kaiba. It was perfect. Everything was going according to his plan.

"Buster Blader, attack Slifer the Sky Dragon with your powerful blade!" The warrior monster slightly staggered while lunging at the huge beast.

"Watching your puny warrior try to take down my unstoppable Egyptian God monster is actually quite amusing!"

For once, Vicki had to agree, even though she still thought Yugi's opponent was a prick. If the Egyptian God monster was defeated by a monster that wasn't even strong enough to scratch it, she didn't think she would be able to stop laughing, as it would prove the God card was not so tough after all. She watched as Buster Blader got closer.

"Have you forgotten that my sky dragon is protected by my ultimate defender, the shape shifting Revival Jam?"

Of course, Yami had known that, but it was all part of his plan. Just like the previous times, the plasma monster acted like a shield for the sky dragon. Strings prepared to draw his next three cards and kept on ranting and raving about how he would destroy the pharaoh and his weaker half.

"I'm afraid it's still my turn, but before I make my next move, I need for Revival Jam to revive." He waited for the plasma monster to redevelop, and then he played the card he just drew, Brain Control.

Yugi's plan to make Slifer destroy itself was beginning to become clear to Mokuba."I think I get Yugi's plan," he said. "He must want to use Brain Control to take over the dragon's mind, but I still think Slifer's way too strong to be controlled."

"Good move, but it's not quite that simple. Sorry Yami, but magic cards are completely useless against the Egyptian God monsters, and now you will pay the price for making such a foolish mistake!"

Marik/Strings' propensity for jumping to conclusions never ceased to amaze Yami. "Who said I was after your dragon?"

"You're not?"

"No Marik, there's another monster on your field I'm after, and I'll control him. My Brain Control will seize your Revival Jam!" The plasma monster switched sides due to the brainwashing effect.

At first, Strings was confused. "What could you possibly do with my Revival Jam card? It can't hurt my dragon, so it's of no use to you."

"We'll see about that. In the meantime, draw your three new cards, Marik."

"I will, which will give my monster another 3 thousand attack points! With ever card I draw, my monster grows even stronger!" As Strings drew his 3 cards, his dragon's attack points increased to 17, 000. "You have made your final move, Pharaoh. Slifer, wipe out his Buster Blader and his life points!"

'_I wouldn't do that if I were you,'_ thought Vicki. By now even she had caught on to Yugi's plan.

"Hold on, Marik! Your sky dragon's special ability means its second mouth has to attack any new monster that appears on my side of the field!"

Strings had a look of horror as he realized what this meant. Yami had recently snatched his plasma monster.

"That's right! So before you can destroy me, you will have to destroy my Revival Jam!"

Marik was stunned as this realization hit him. Yami still had the Brain Control in play which meant Revival Jam would keep regenerating itself. This meant he could never get to Yami's monster or life points since his Egyptian God monster was attacking with its second mouth every time the plasma monster reformed itself. He had thought his 5 card combination would be foolproof, but he hadn't taken this possibility into account. With those cards in play, he was boxed into a corner, so at the end it did not matter how strong his dragon got. The tomb keeper growled in frustration. Yami was going to succeed!

Seto, Mokuba and Vicki silently watched as the dragon kept attacking and the mime kept drawing cards. Soon there were too many to fit in his hand and he dropped them. They were scattered all over the floor.

"As powerful as your Egyptian God card may be, no monster is without weakness and your sky dragon's weakness lies in its special ability. Its second mouth attack," Yami explained in an "I told you so" kind of way.

Marik hated to admit it, but Yami was right. There really _was _a way to make Slifer self-destruct. He and his mindslave drew cards until there were no more. He had never been so humiliated in his life.

"I've turned your dragon against you, causing you to use up all the cards in your dueling deck!" Yami told Strings.

"No…" the mime murmured in despair as the remainder of his cards fell out of his hand and scattered amongst the pile that was already there. He fell to his knees, as still as he was before he was told to challenge Yugi. As for the dragon, its powerless body collapsed in a heap. Vicki snorted with laughter. She was also happy for her friend's victory.

"That means I win! It's over!"

* * *

Marik's disbelief turned into a hint of fury. He growled angrily. "It can't be! How could I lose with an Egyptian God card in my deck?! You'll pay, Yami! You may have defeated Slifer, but I hold another Egyptian God card! A much more powerful one! So savor this victory while you can, for it will be your last!" He was so deep in his fit of rage that he didn't hear footsteps.

It was Odion, coming to see how the duel was progressing, but based on his master's little conniption, he had his answer. He was not going to antagonize his master any further by asking him about the obvious. So he turned and left, deciding to check up on Keren. He hadn't seen her since they boarded the ship earlier that day.

Keren was finishing the last couple of pages in her novel when she heard a knock on her door. Her heart proceeded to pound super fast, and she had to clutch her chest to get the heartbeat to slow down. She hoped it wasn't another rare hunter. Anyone but them. She decided she had better ask. "Wh-Who is it?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"It is I, Odion."

Oh. The young woman let out a sigh of relief and her heartbeat seemed to be returning to normal. She wondered what he wanted, but whatever it may be, she wasn't complaining. "Just a minute." She opened the door and sure enough, he was standing there. She stepped back so he could come in. Once he had entered, she shut the door.

"So what's going on?" Keren asked curiously. "Is something wrong?" She braced herself for possible bad news, like Marik telling him what happened and him deciding that he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. Oh, would she be crushed if he said that, even though she wouldn't fault him. But she studied his facial expression and couldn't actually read it.

"Master Marik has faced the spirit of the Pharaoh in a duel, and was defeated."

"I see." What else was she supposed to say? Surely he hadn't come all this way just to tell her that. Frankly, she was glad Marik had failed. She hoped against hope this would make him stop trying to fight a battle he couldn't win, though something told her he wouldn't.

"So if I were you, I would not say or do anything to aggravate Master Marik," continued Marik's best servant.

That was something he didn't have to tell her. She had walked on eggshells so much when he was angry about things not going according to plan that this time was no different. "Yes. I understand." She wondered if she should say something else, like for example telling him what the rare hunters had tried to do to her.

"And I trust you're doing well?" That was more of a question than a comment.

Keren realized Odion did not know after all. Well this was her chance to tell him. He didn't even ask about the makeshift bandage tied around her finger. Maybe confiding in him wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. Once again, she recounted the entire story, hoping he wouldn't despise her and he would understand why she was forced to get physical in order to escape. When she was finished, she looked at his face for any sign of anger or contempt. She thought she saw a hint of displeasure, and to her surprise, an understanding look as well. It was safe to say his displeasure wasn't for the reason she thought.

"Not to worry. Aside from a mishap that occurred while fleeing, I escaped unharmed," she reassured him.

"Good." Naturally if the rare hunters _had_ laid a finger on her, they would live to regret it, but since Marik had already punished them, it would save him the trouble of teaching his former colleagues a lesson the hard way. He remembered something he meant to ask regarding her gloomy demeanor at the few meetings she attended, and now that they were alone, this was the perfect opportunity to ask her. He looked deep into her eyes. She was transfixed by his gaze. She wondered what was on his mind. Did he have something else important to tell her or ask her?

"Keren...I have noticed during the occasions you've attended Master Marik's meetings, you seemed unhappy. Why is that?"

Keren was taken aback. She couldn't deny it because he was correct, but she didn't know how she could tell Odion her depression was brought on by his behavior lately. How would he take it? She decided not to worry about it and just be honest. After all, he had asked and she couldn't help how she was feeling.

"It's true…I haven't been very happy lately. It's because I feel very lonely. Also I have missed spending time with you, and you seem like a different person, especially when you're around Marik. I understand that you're just doing your duty as Marik's protector, but I am afraid you'll do something you'll regret later."

There. She told him what she most needed him to know. She was also missing the kind side of Marik but she didn't need to let him know that. He would know from what she just told him.

Those words left Odion speechless. He could see in his companion's eyes that she was hurting, which bothered him. Especially considering he had no idea he was causing part of the anguish she had been feeling. But he made a vow to his master and his word was his bond. "I am sorry for the pain I have caused you. However, it is my duty to help Master Marik conquer his dark side, and I have promised Mother that I would protect him. "

"I know…but at what cost..?" She was almost on the verge of tears.

Odion placed his large hands on the young woman's shoulders. "Until his inner light shines once again. I want him to return to the innocent person he once was just as you and Ishizu do."

"Oh, Odion…" He had just given her a sense of reassurance. But she knew what she had to do when she met up with Ishizu.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

* * *

Marik's ship finally docked at the Domino Harbor. Keren was so relieved. She didn't want to have to endure the pain for another minute. She wanted to see Ishizu, but she knew what she needed to do first. She felt she should at least let the Egyptian know she had finally arrived. She took out her mobile phone. Just as she was about to start dialing the number of the museum, her phone started ringing. She checked the ID to make sure no stranger was calling.

It was the number of the Domino Museum, meaning Ishizu was calling. She answered. "Hello?"

"Good day, this is Ishizu speaking."

"Hello Ishizu. I was about to call you to let you know I have finally arrived in Domino City."

"I am aware of your arrival. I am glad the remainder of your journey had gone smoothly."

"As am I." She was so parry after the encounter with the rare hunters. At least she finally got to tell Odion something that had been on her mind for a long time. If only she could figure out how to stop him. Hopefully Ishizu would be able to help her, and she would find a way to help the Egyptian woman stop Marik. She couldn't say she would miss them all that much once she met up with Ishizu.

"So how is your hand feeling?" asked Ishizu. "Is it in terrible pain?"

"Aye...it is extremely ghastly. I nearly lost consciousness."

Hearing this worried Ishizu. "You should seek medical attention for it as soon as possible."

Keren knew better than to argue when Ishizu used the motherly tone with her. "I am aware of that. I will go there momentarily." She remembered she didn't know where any nearby hospitals were. She didn't want to have to wander around all day. Ishizu had been there for some time. She would know. "Do you know of any nearby hospitals?" she asked. She took out a pad of paper and a pencil just in case.

"That I do." She gave Keren some directions and said she would arrange transportation for her. The older woman jotted them down, thinking how nice it was of Ishizu. She didn't want to walk all over Domino City just to have to find it, knowing she could very well get lost or harassed by thugs again."Shall I meet you at the Domino Museum once I am through?"

"Yes. I will let the chauffeur know to transport you there after your hospital visit."

That was the perfect arrangement for Keren. "Sounds like a plan. I will see you shortly."

"Wonderful. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." She hung up, and exited Marik's large ship and entered the pier. She found a seat where she would be able to see when her ride showed up. She decided to try and finish off her novel while she waited. She was almost done reading anyway and she would have gotten to finish it earlier had it not been for the rude interruption.

This time she was really engrossed in the remainder of the story. At one point she did hear the sound of a motorcycle engine. She assumed it was Marik or Odion riding off to execute the next evil scheme. Although she didn't know what exactly was planned this time, she had a bad feeling that the pharaoh's life was still in danger. She said a silent prayer to Ra that he and his friends would be out of harm's way, and went back to reading.

She was finishing off the last page when she heard the sound of a car's horn. Knowing it could be the chauffeur Ishizu sent for her, she looked up. Sure enough, there was a limo parked. The driver of it let the windows down and asked, "Miss Olivero?"

"Yes, that's me." She got up, booked marked the page, slipped it in her satchel, grabbed a hold of her small suitcase and pulled it to the car. Some men got out and assisted her with her baggage. She climbed inside and was driven to the hospital. She was glad at last she would be getting _some _relief, while hoping whatever the problem was would be nothing serious.

* * *

Meanwhile, the x-ray technician had just finished taking Kenta's x-ray. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so the little boy's doctor sent him home. He waited for the next patient.

About twenty minutes later or so, Keren walked in. She had a pained expression on her face. By then the pain in her poorly hand had deteriorated. The smell of the room didn't help matters, either. It smelled like spoiled medication. She felt very sick to her stomach.

"Good day, ma'am. What can I do for you today?" asked the technician.

Keren told him all about her accident and described her pain to him. "I have come to make sure it's not fractured," she concluded.

"I see." He placed a large bib on the young woman that would keep the rays near her hand. He pressed a button on the large machine.

'_CLICK!' _ Went the x-ray machine. He took another one. The two pictures came out of it and the technician retrieved them. He examined the pictures to see what damage had been done. The image did not show a fracture or a sprain. However, her finger joint had been forcefully pushed out of its socket, which indicated a dislocation. He removed the bib and told her what the problem was.

"I understand." She was confused. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved it wasn't broken or not, for she was dealing with something just as painful. And now she was going to have to wait to feel some sort of relief, because depending on what her doctor did, she might feel worse before she felt better.

"You may go now. The doctor will see you shortly."

"All right. Thank you." Keren exited the room. She hoped she wouldn't have to wait _too _long. At this rate she would pass out in the waiting room.

* * *

Ocean duelist Mako Tsunami had just won a duel against someone he considered an unworthy opponent. Now he was only 2 locator cards away from the finals. All that dueling had made him hungry. So he had decided to take a small break and get some lunch. And he thought what better place to do some fishing than the aquarium.

Mako climbed onto the ledge of the aquarium and cast his net into the water. He hoped luck was on his side and he would catch something.

Just his luck, he could feel his net becoming fuller by each passing second. He looked to see what was inside the net and to his delight, it was filled with small fish. He couldn't believe it. There was enough to have a fish meal for lunch and still have some left over for dinner and even for breakfast the next day. Before he could get off the ledge to prepare his lunch, a large monstrous whale with jaws open wide and sharp teeth arose from the depths of the sea grabbed a hold of him and looked like it was about to swallow him whole.

The sea duelist was never so scared and surprised in his life. He loved whales and he never knew any of them to be as ferocious as this one. He screamed at the top of his lungs.

A young woman with long light brown hair pulled into a tight ponytail, dressed in summer clothing came running out when she heard the yelling. When she saw Mako holding the net full of fish and the whale trying to bite him, for a moment she didn't know what to say. Then it came to her.

"Mister, what do you think you're doing? Do you not know this is an aquarium?"

"I was just getting my lunch when this whale attacked me!" he explained frantically.

"That's because you were stealing _his _lunch. Now leave if you value your life."

When Mako heard that, he dropped the fish back into the water. This seemed to pacify the whale's anger as it released its grip on the frightened young man. _'There goes my lunch,' _he thought. "I just didn't want to have to duel on an empty stomach anymore, that's all. I just wanted to have my daily meal before my final duel, that's all."

The aquarium worker thought it was understandable but she still felt it didn't justify Mako's thievery. "Well you should get out of here before you are a meal." Just as she said that, she collapsed.

Mako was worried when he saw this. His eyes filled with concern, he leapt off the ledge of the aquarium and ran over to the young woman. He used one hand to hold her up and the other to feel her forehead. It felt a bit hot. "You have a fever. You should be in bed, resting," he told her.

The aquarium worker thought it was pretty nice of this person to show concern. She decided he was a nice guy after all, even though he had just tried to steal the fish. She felt so exhausted, she couldn't say she didn't feel like lying down at the moment, but that wasn't exactly an option. "I wish I could, but I have to perform in a show in just a little while," she responded weakly. "I'm the only one the creatures will obey."

"Well you're in no condition to do it. Let me do it in your place. I happen to love the sea and all its creatures. All of them are my friends." He also thought this would be the perfect opportunity to attract another challenger.

"Really? You'd do that for me?" the girl asked incredulously.

"Of course. Just leave it to me."

* * *

Marik was still riding on the streets of Domino City and he was enjoying the cool and gentle breeze. His longish cornsilk colored hair proceeded to blow in the wind. It seemed like only yesterday when he first rode a motorcycle and he still remembered how he felt when he was doing one of the things he most wished to do.

However, that wasn't the main reason for his happiness at the moment. He was almost to Battle City. He was wondering where Keren had gone off to, but decided she was the least of his worries. There was work to be done.

'_Excellent. I can feel the victory within my grasp. Pharaoh, you may have won Slifer from me, but I will win it back and strip Kaiba of his Obelisk as well. So you'd better enjoy your brief ownership of Slifer because soon you'll be nowhere but oblivion! Hahaha!' _ There were rare hunters all over the city who would help execute his newly devised plan.

Bakura happened to be in Battle City at the moment, observing the activity there. His millennium ring started glowing and this time he felt a strong force. _'The presence of a millennium item is near and this time the force is strong. It will be mine,'_ thought Yami Bakura.

All of a sudden, Joey and most of the gang approached him. He never liked being around them so he retreated, though he would still be able to keep an eye on things. "Hey Bakura, what's up? You're here to check out the tournament too?"

"Yes. How are you progressing thus far, Joey?"

"Just great! I have 4 locator cards now! Just two more and I will have qualified for the Battle City finals." He wondered if Yugi had qualified as of yet. He couldn't wait to face his best pal in a rematch.

"Congratulations, Joey! I know you will make it," said Bakura. _'You stupid mortals play your foolish games while I become the most powerful being in the world!' _

"Well I'm gonna go find my next challenge. Smell ya later!" He hoped his next challenge would push him to duel at his best like his two previous ones, only not a cheater.

"All right. Goodbye. "He watched as his friends left, whilst his yami grinned evilly. _'Soon all of them will cease to exist.' _

* * *

As Joey, Tèa, Tristan, Mr. Mutou and Vicki walked through the crowded city, they noticed a sign advertising Mako's performance with Shamu. The sign had a drawing of Mako snuggling with the whale. Tristan was confused about this.

"Hey, Mako is supposed to be dueling, not performing with Shamu! What's he doing?"

Tèa agreed. "Time is running out to qualify for the finals."

"Maybe this is his way of issuing a challenge..?" wondered Vicki. She had seen his duels on television and thought he seemed like a decent person.

Joey was hoping he would cross paths with the top rank ocean duelist. Yugi had beaten him in Duelist Kingdom and now was his chance to test his skills against a top duelist like him, against someone he actually respected as a person. (Besides Yugi.) "Who cares what he's doing? He's gonna be my next challenge." He sprinted to the Domino Aquarium.

"I think he's lost it," muttered Tristan. He and Tèa ran after Joey.

"Wait up, you guys! Some of us can't run as fast as you can!" Vicki and Mr. Mutou picked up the pace as best as they could. All five of them walked through the entrance of the aquarium. There was a mob of people seated on the benches watching the show. Mako was riding on Shamu and held on tight as the whale went underwater for a dip, making enormous splashes. When Shamu came back up, the sea duelist stood on its snout. Mako smiled when he saw Joey and his friends coming near. He recognized them as Yugi's friends.

"Well hello my friends. Have you come to see my unforgettable show?"

"Not exactly, Mako," answered Joey. "I've come to challenge you to a duel!"

"What are you doing performing anyway?" asked Tèa at the same time.

Mako admired Joey's spunk and high spirit. But the blonde was getting a little ahead of himself. "It would be rude to stop the Ocean World show, but I believe these people would want to see me defeat you in a duel and advance to the finals. I have 4 locator cards at this point. And to answer your question, Tèa, I am here to duel. I just wanted to give someone a helping hand as a break."

Joey thought that made sense. He then got this fierce look in his eyes. "I have four locator cards as well! Nothing against you, but I'll have you know that _I _will be the one making it to the finals!"

"We'll see about that, Joey."

"Yes we will. Both of us will put on a show these people won't forget!"

"Now we're in agreement. Let's duel!" Both gentlemen took their places on the playing field, which was a concrete island in the middle of the tank. The teens and Mr. Mutou went to find a seat on the bleachers. The crowd gave an uproarious cheer. They were looking forward to an exciting match from two of the most famous duelists.

Joey and Mako activated their duel disks. "So how many locator cards are you willing to risk losing, freaky fish guy?" asked Joey.

That nickname drove Mako up a wall but he decided to let it slide this time. "Two. And how about you, jelly fish?"

"I put up two as well!"

"Smart challenge. Be prepared to feel the wrath of the mighty ocean!"

"I'm more than prepared!" In an attempt to get the crowd psyched to watch the duel, he did a couple of pirouettes while drawing a card from his deck. Tèa and Tristan groaned at this. Their friend could be such a goof at times. They hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself during the entire duel. The majority of the spectators in the audience had an expression that said, _'What the hell does this guy think he's doing?'_

Mako was annoyed as well. "Is this a ballet class or a duel?"

Joey ceased the pirouettes. "Very funny!" He straightened up a bit and looked at the card he had just drawn. It was Hayabusa Knight, which had just 1000 attack points. Not exactly what he was hoping for but at least he could defend and try to implement a strategy while he saw what Mako did on his turn. He was so proud of himself for tearing the Parasite Paracide card to pieces after his duel with Weevil. "I'll play my Hayabusa Knight in defense mode and end my turn." (700 defense points)

"I summon the almighty Flying Fish in attack mode!" (800 attack points) A baby blue colored fish with wings and pink lips appeared. "Go my Flying Fish, attack that face down monster!" The fish obliterated the large warrior shaped bird. "That is just the beginning of my ocean onslaught!"

"It takes more than that to defeat me you big sardine! That was just a warm up and I have already figured out what strategy I would use to turn your monsters into fish bait! I place another monster in defense mode and that's all."

"I will place one card face down and end my turn."

"That's all you've got? I guess it's time for me to let you watch the master in action!" Joey started to do more pirouettes to prove his point.

"Hey Joey this is so embarrassing to watch!" yelled Tèa from the sidelines.

Even tempered Mako was tired of Joey's antics. "Just make your move already! I have a duel to win!"

Joey nearly lost his balance on his last pirouette. "Quit rushing me! I was just trying to give these people a good show."

"All you're doing is putting them to sleep! They came to watch a duel, not your best dancing skills!"

"Whatever. Where was I? Oh yes, I was about to fillet your flying fish. I sacrifice my defense monster in order to summon my Garoozis in attack mode!" (1800 attack points)

Mako gave a small smirk. "You fell right into my trap!"

"Trap card?" Joey was beginning to lose his cool.

"Yes!" The ocean duelist activated a card called Torrential Tribute, and Joey watched in fear as a giant flood of water washed his monster away. Now he was defenseless.

* * *

Marik was still riding his motorcycle, and using his rod to keep tabs on his henchmen to make sure they were doing what he commanded. He was riding through the alleys at this time and when he reached a corner, he tilted back on the hind wheels. He saw a young man with long wild white hair blocking his way. He came to a grinding halt and took off his helmet.

"Whoever you are, you're in my way," he told Yami Bakura a bit gruffly. He didn't know what this person was up to, but all he knew was that he had better not try his patience or he would live to regret it.

The evil spirit was unfazed by Marik's tone of voice. "You have something I seek. Give me your millennium item and you may pass by."

Normally Marik would be amused by such a demand, but he noticed the ring hanging around Yami Bakura's neck and he also could tell the evil spirit was just as diabolical as he. "Why do you want my millennium item?" he wanted to know.

"I am on a quest to collect all seven millennium items so I may rule the world!"

Marik thought this was interesting. This evil spirit had knowledge of some parts of the ancient scriptures but not all. The power of all 7 millennium items was weaker than the power he sought. He could become a threat and stand in his way and that was unacceptable. Perhaps he could join forces with this spirit somehow. He suddenly thought of the exact way, but it would take some negotiating. "My name is Marik."

The evil spirit didn't know why Marik was introducing himself, as his identity was of little concern to him. "Not that I care who you are or it's any of your business, but you may call me Bakura."

"Well, Bakura, you may have my millennium rod, but before I hand it over, you must do something for me. After I get what I am really interested in, the millennium rod will mean absolutely nothing to me."

"Why should I help you, when I can take your item by force just as I have done to others in the past?"

Dealing with the dark spirit was frustrating. Marik was beginning to lose patience with him but kept calm. "I know the whereabouts of several millennium items, including the millennium necklace worn by my older sister."

Yami Bakura's interest was sparked. "Perhaps there is a way we can work together."

"Wise choice." The two men proceeded to glow at each other in an attempt for both of them to prove the strength of their respective items. Marik was surrounded by purple flames and Yami Bakura was surrounded by blue flames.

* * *

"You're wide open for an attack, Joey!" said Mako.

"Go ahead and attack me!"

"I will! Flying Fish, attack Joey's life points directly! "The fish flew towards the blonde and nibbled on him. He was down to 3200 life points after the direct attack.

The crowd cheered very loudly. They were enjoying the duel thus far and it was mostly because of Mako. "Wheeler isn't gonna last much longer at this rate," one teen boy said.

Mako ended his turn by playing a face down card. "I hope you are prepared for the other surprises I have in store for you." He started thinking about how his father would be proud of him if he could see him now. Ever since the day he last saw him and he was lost at sea, he had vowed to search for him and not stop until he found him. That fateful day made him stronger and more determined to find his father. "I am fighting this duel in honor of my father, which means I will show you no mercy."

"That makes two of us who don't show any mercy. And I am dueling for a family member as well—my sister Serenity." And he also thought of the promise he made to Yugi as well. "Anyway, I summon Alligator's Sword in attack mode. I also play two cards face down."

"That's an improvement over your previous moves, but it's still not enough to save you from my denizens of the deep." He drew a card strong enough to defeat Joey's monster. "I sacrifice my Flying Fish in order to play my almighty Amphibian Beast in attack mode!" (2400 attack points.) A hideous green beast materialized. "Amphibian Beast, attack!"

"Not quite! I activate one of my face down cards, Fairy Box!" A large box with a bunch of holes entrapped the alligator so the amphibian creature wouldn't know which hole to attack. The alligator could move to any hole. This rattled Mako a bit.

"Excellent move, Joey!" cheered Vicki. She thought he may have been ditzy at first but at least he knew how to make a good comeback.

Joey was enjoying Mako's confusion as the alligator monster popped its head out of all of the holes thus slowing Amphibian Beast down. "What's the matter, Mako? You don't like those arcade games? Well get ready because you're gonna be shark bait soon!"

"Enjoy your brief moment of triumph because _you_ will be shark bait after I play this card!"

"Say what? Not again!" Joey wasn't sure if he could beat Mako now.

"That's right! I play Umi, which floods the entire playing field with water!" The sudden pool of water almost knocked Joey over but he managed to stay on his feet. "This also boosts my monster's attack strength by 200 points and makes your alligator come up for air, as it cannot breathe underwater!"

Joey didn't like this as it meant his monster was vulnerable for an attack. He hoped his other face down card would help or he would lose even more life points. "Nice try! I reveal my other face down card, Skull Dice!" The crimson colored die was tossed and all of his supporters mentally urged it to land on a high number. Everyone quietly watched as it began to come to a stop. It landed on a 4, dropping the green colored creature's attack points to 650. "Ok Alligator Sword, dispose of that oversized tadpole." The amphibian was reduced to ribbons by the sword attack, decreasing the ocean duelist's life points to 3300.

Mako was impressed. Joey was finally starting to live up to his reputation. "You know, Joey, you're a worthy opponent."

"Thanks Mako. You're very worthy yourself."

'_However, this duel is just beginning. You may have destroyed my amphibian, but you do not stand a chance against my other sea creatures, including my secret weapon!' _ Mako thought to himself.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

* * *

Joey was all fired up from his comeback. Perhaps his victory wouldn't be so hard to obtain after all. He knew Mako had more in store for him, but at this point he felt like he was ready to face it. Not only that, but the ocean duelist was the one who was defenseless this time. All he needed was a monster strong enough and he would be able to damage Mako's lifepoints.

"Your come back ends now, Joey. Soon you'll be finished and I will be taking two of your locator cards!" announced Mako.

"I don't think so! You have no monsters to protect you! That means I can launch a direct attack!"

The ocean duelist was shocked by Joey's seemingly selective memory. "I'd like to see you try that, land lubber! You're forgetting that the field is flooded with my ocean."

That rattled Joey for a moment, but he put his game face back on. "No biggie. I'll find some way around your ocean, Mako!" _'I will need the right card or else I'm toast on his next turn!'_

"Not likely. Neither of your monsters are a match for the mighty ocean!"

"That's what you think! It's my turn now!" Joey drew a card and was ecstatic with his draw. It was Polymerization. His comeback streak seemed to be continuing. _'Just the card I needed to complete my strategy.' _ "First I summon Baby Dragon in attack mode!"(1200 attack points)

The sea duelist couldn't believe his eyes. All that trash talk and the best move he could come up with was Baby Dragon? He was beginning to wonder if he had overestimated his opponent. "A baby? I suggest getting a life jacket for him or else he will be swallowed up by my mighty sea creatures!"

"He may be small now, but who said he would be in this alone?"

"Just what do you mean by that?" He wondered just how Joey planned to conquer his ocean with a mere monster or two.

"You'll see." The blonde played his Polymerization card to fuse Baby Dragon and Alligator's Sword together, which formed Alligator's Sword Dragon. Alligator's Sword was riding on the back of the bright orange colored dragon. The creature had an attack power of 1700 points, which would do a great deal of damage to Mako's life points. "My new monster has the power to dive over your ocean!"

"Excellent move, Joey, except that all fusion monsters must wait one turn before attacking."

"I know that, aqua boy! Consider yourself lucky I won't sink you until my next turn!" _'I only hope I can survive a turn.'_ "Think you can wait that long?" teased Joey.

"Mako waits for no one!" He played one of his monster cards, hiding it underwater.

Joey wasn't any more annoyed than he was flustered. Not only could he not see what he was fighting, but he wasn't sure what mode it was in because his opponent didn't say. What if he didn't have a monster strong enough to defeat it? He hoped his upcoming move would work.

"Alligator Sword Dragon, attack Mako's life points directly!" The fused monster flew towards the sea duelist and slashed him with the sword. He winced as the attack took effect on him. His life points were down to sixteen hundred.

"Way to go Joey!" cheered Vicki from the sidelines. Tèa, Tristan and Mr. Mutou offered their words of encouragement as well.

Joey was very proud of himself. He just might have found the perfect strategy for defeating Mako. _'I can win this duel with one more direct attack!'_

"Once again, you're dueling quite admirably, Joey," Mako told the blonde. _'However I can't allow this to happen any longer. I have to win this duel so I can continue to search for my father.'_

_*Flashback begins*_

_Young Mako and his father were sailing on the open seas one afternoon. At the moment, the ocean was calm. They hoped it would stay that way for the duration of the voyage. Soon it would be time to go fishing for their dinner. _

"_It is such a beautiful day, isn't it Daddy?" asked Mako. _

"_That it is, son." _

"_It's the perfect condition for fishing." _

_Mr. Tsunami sailed the boat to an area where lots of fish usually bit. Mako gathered his net and threw it out. His dad smiled at this. Mako had become such an expert at fishing. _

_Soon, Mako's net began to feel heavy. He took it as a good sign. The net was so heavy that Mako couldn't lift it out of the ocean on his own. His father had to help him. Inside the net were a school of snappers, as well as a small blue marlin. _

"_Wow, we will have some leftover for the next day!" said Mako excitedly. He watched as his father placed them in the medium sized cooler. Just as he was closing the container and getting ready to sail back to shore, gray clouds appeared in the sky. 'That's strange,' thought Mr. Tsunami. 'The sky was sunny not long ago. "Son, it appears there is a storm ahead."_

_Mako quivered as the waves began to pick up. "What are we going to do?" he asked._

"_We must prepare ourselves for the worst!" replied the older man. _

'_He's right. And knowing how unpredictable the storms can be there's no telling how strong this one would be.' Of course he didn't think it would be any worse than the one which occurred about three weeks prior—that one was bad enough. _

_The seas were becoming more and more tempestuous by the minute. Now Mako really didn't like this. "Daddy!" he screamed as he struggled to sit still. He was now leaning against a pole. _

"_It's okay Mako." The ship stopped rocking long enough for him to retrieve a long rope. He took it and securely tied his son to the pole so that he would be able to sit still, but not so tightly that he was feeling discomfort. "There, you are safe now."_

_Before Mako could thank his dad, the waves became even rougher and tipped the boat over. "Dad, look out!" cried the frightened young boy. _

"_AAAAH!" Mr. Tsunami screamed, falling overboard. _

_*Flashback ends*_

"Never underestimate the power of the ocean!" Mako yelled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," answered Joey tiredly. _'Will freaky fish guy ever stop his ranting and raving about the sea?'_

"To complete my turn I will place one card face down and hide it in the deep." Mako was looking forward to unleashing his ultimate creature.

"Man, I am tired of this," Joey complained."How am I supposed to fight something I can't see?" He didn't get why Mako kept hiding his monsters, but it wasn't like anything mattered. _'Not like he can stop my monsters, anyway. One more direct attack and I will win.' _ "Alligator's Sword Dragon, attack Mako's life points directly!" Once again, the goofy looking monster flew over the water and dove towards the ocean duelist.

"Joey wins if this attack works!" stated Tèa.

"Let's cross our fingers," said Mr. Mutou.

'_Good work, Joey. You've achieved yourself an easy victory considering the rank of this laddie,' _thought Vicki, rubbing her fingers together. _'Come on.' _ The bench was not easy on her poorly hips at all. _'I should have brought my orthopedic cushion with me.' _

Mako gave a smug grin. "I'm afraid that move won't work twice!"

"Say what?" asked Joey. He was almost afraid to see what his opponent was up to.

"I activate my trap card, Tornado Wall!" Joey and the crowd watched as a cluster of cyclones rose vertically, thus repelling his attack. Now what was he going to do?

"You should know it is nearly impossible for you to defeat me!" said Mako. "I also sacrifice one of my hidden monsters for an even stronger one. You're about to feel the wrath of the almighty ocean once again. "

'_Now there's an even stronger monster lurking down there. Will have to protect my life points just in case none of my monsters are strong enough to defeat it. And I am sick of hearing him babble all about the ocean.' _

Mako eyed Joey's expression. "I can see your curiosity is getting the best of you. Well, I will reveal my monster! Show yourself, my ultimate creature, Sea Stealth II, the Legendary Fisherman!" (1850 attack points) A man with wild navy blue hair that was spiked like an afro, riding on a shark arose from the depths of the sea and hurled a harpoon at Joey's monster.

"Not quite!" The blonde revealed his faced down card, Energy Drain. "This card will reduce your monster's attack points to zero." The reptilian monster's sword proceeded to glow and was surrounded with energy. The monster raised its sword and emitted the energy stream at Legendary Fisherman, but the towering water sprouts from Tornado Wall arose again and blocked the attack. This gave Mako's monster the opening he needed to counterattack.

"Legendary Fisherman, destroy his monster!" the sea duelist ordered. The fisherman fired his harpoon at Alligator's Sword Dragon, destroying it. Joey was down to 3050 life points.

"What the heck?! My magic card was supposed to zap your monster!" said Joey, confused. "What's going on here?"

"My ocean on the field makes my monsters immune to magic cards," responded Mako. "Your monsters are powerless against mine!"

'_As much as I hate to admit it, he's telling the truth. My strategy is ruined,' _thought Joey. _'But even so, if he thinks I'm giving up, he's got another thing coming.'_ "Two can play at the game of hiding monsters. For now, I place a monster in defense mode to keep _you _guessing, Mako!"

"Not for long. Your hidden monster is shark bait. Legendary Fisherman, destroy his face down monster!" Though still underwater, the fisherman shot a harpoon at Joey's defense monster, destroying it.

"No! My Tiny Guardian!" Not that it was part of any strategy Joey had to defeat the ocean duelist, but his defenses were being picked off like flies. This meant he had to come up with a way to be on the offensive and fast. "What's the big deal, Mako? Is your fisherman going to keep hiding like a frightened shrimp?" taunted Joey.

Mako gave an angry grimace. "My fisherman is brave just like my father." He called his monster back to the surface. The fisherman re-emerged from the depths of the sea and gazed at the blonde with a fierce look in his eyes, which didn't faze him.

"Hey. Your fisherman looks a lot like you, only a little older and creepier," said Joey.

Mako couldn't help but chuckle. "Watch yourself, Joey. To me that card represents my father, and what a brave and courageous man he was. He loved the ocean…that is, until the sea took him from me."

_*Flashback begins*_

_Mr. Tsunami had managed to tie his son to the mast in time, but just barely. The mighty ocean capsized the boat, just when Mako uttered, "Daddy!"  
_

_Awhile later, the storm ceased, and Mako was still tied to the mast. He looked around and saw that his father was no longer onboard. "What happened?" he wondered. _

_*Flashback ends*_

"My father was correct," said Mako. "Tying me to the mast had made me perfectly safe, but he did not have time to secure himself as well. I thought I had lost my father forever. However, I noticed that the lifeboat was missing. So even though I had been told my father's body had not been found, that gave me hope and the belief my father was alive, out there somewhere. So I built a monument to guide him home and held a memorial. Years later, I received a package and an anonymous note that read: _Don't give up. _The package was Sea Stealth II, The Legendary Fisherman. It inspires me to fight every duel in honor of him."

'_Oh, that's such a touching story,' _thought Vicki. _'You're such an honorable duelist, Mako. It would be wonderful if every duelist was as respectable an opponent as you are.'_

Joey also found Mako's story to be moving. "I've got a lot of respect for you, Mako, but as much as I like you, I'm the one who will be going to the finals," he said.

"Then go ahead and make your move, little minnow."

"Will do. I place one card face down and play this monster card in defense mode!"

"Very well." Mako drew a card. _'Excellent. This card is just what I need to achieve my victory!'_ "I play my Fortress Whale Oath card!" He used it to sacrifice two of his weaker hidden monsters. "I summon my most powerful monster, Fortress Whale!" (2350 attack points.) An enormous black whale with a long white horn on its snout, and teeth bared, emerged on the field. "And the ocean on the field gives it an extra 200 attack points." The whale had 2550 attack points as a result.

"Oh great…just when I thought I only had the fisherman to worry about," Joey muttered. Of course the sarcasm was only masking how rattled he truly was. _'How am I supposed to get out of this one?'_

* * *

Marik and Yami Bakura were still engrossed in their dark game in the alley. The dark spirit was struggling to overpower Marik.

"Enough of this farce now. It seems you are just as powerful as I am, and you can handle the power of another millennium item, such as the millennium rod," said Marik.

"Wise decision. I thought you would never say that." The flames that surrounded the sinister spirit disappeared. "So what do I need to do for you to hand over the millennium rod?"

Marik smiled one of his devious smiles. "It's quite simple, actually."

That was just what the evil spirit wanted to hear. "Go on. I'm listening."

"Well first, answer me this. How strong are your dueling skills?"

The evil spirit held up his hands as if he were ashamed to admit that he had lost to the pharaoh. "They are extremely strong. You should know that I've participated in several shadow games throughout history." He looked at Marik, but couldn't read the expression on the tombkeeper's face."Does that surprise you?"

"No it doesn't. It all makes sense now." At least Marik knew the dark spirit wasn't just some weirdo who was jealous of his power. "I ask because I will need you to duel on my behalf."

"I will duel whomever you want me too. May I just ask what is it you expect to gain from this, Marik?"

Marik looked just a bit agitated, for it seemed the dark spirit didn't listen very well. "I told you, I'm a collector like you. Win me the cards I want and the items are yours."

"Agreed." The evil spirit just hoped Marik was a man of his word, or he really _would_ have to use force to get what he wanted.

* * *

Joey looked at the humongous whale above his head in utter amazement and fear. He was beginning to wonder if challenging the ocean duelist was a good idea after all. "That's a whale of a monster, folks. It looks like I may be in over my head," he said.

"Joey, don't say that! You can still win, even if your chances seem slim. Just believe in yourself like you've always done!" yelled Vicki.

Mako looked up at the young lady. "I'm sorry my friend, but Joey is correct. With my Fortress Whale above and my Legendary Fisherman below, my victory is guaranteed."

"Whatever." Vicki didn't understand why Mako was referring to her as his friend because he didn't feel like one at the moment.

"And now I will continue with my onslaught!" announced Mako. "Legendary Fisherman, destroy his defense monster!" The face down monster was revealed to be Rocket Warrior, which was destroyed. "Fortress Whale, attack his life points directly!" The large whale emitted beams from its laser cannon at the blonde, reducing his life points to 500. Joey grunted in pain as he endured the attack.

"Joey had better do something quick or else he'll be fish bait," said Tristan.

"Tristan, you're not helping at all," said Vicki, giving the pointy-haired young man a look.

Tristan shrugged. "Just being honest."

Mr. Mutou ignored the banter between the two teens. "Joey, you still have time to turn this duel around!" Just believe in your deck!"

"Come on, Joey, you can do it!" cheered Tèa. She saw two shadows beneath the ocean. "See those two shadows? I am sure one of those is Mako's Legendary Fisherman. I just hope Joey figures it out."

'_Grandpa is right. But first things first, I need to get a decent monster on the field so I can attack, only there's one little problem. I can't find his Legendary Fisherman to destroy him and his whale is way too powerful.' _

Just then a killer whale leaped out of the ocean and splashed Joey. _'That's the aquarium's killer whale. The other shadow must be Mako's Legendary Fisherman. Awesome! I found him. Now I just need the right card so I can destroy him,' _thought Joey, smiling.

"Make your final move, Joey, so my sea creatures can win this duel," said Mako.

"I sure will." Joey drew his next card and examined his hand. _'I have one monster card, two magic cards and one trap card, as well as one card face down on the field. It's gonna be tricky, but I know how to destroy both of his monsters.'_ "I play 3 cards face down and summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" The cat-warrior appeared, giving a fierce battle roar. "Since my Panther Warrior needs a sacrifice in order to attack, I'll end my turn. Consider yourself lucky."

"You played well, but it's all over for you. Fortress Whale, destroy his Panther Warrior!" The whale aimed its laser cannon at the panther, preparing to attack.

Joey gave a small grin. "Nice try, Mako, but you fell right into my trap!" He revealed his trap card, Magic Arm Shield. "Attach to Panther Warrior! Time to go fishing!" Panther Warrior grabbed a hold of the shield and used it to reach inside the ocean. It seized Legendary Fisherman.

"No! My Legendary Fisherman!" Mako cried out. He was afraid to watch what would happen to his most prized creature.

"I don't have to destroy him," said Joey. "Your whale is gonna do that for me. Fortress Whale, attack!" The whale's blast was redirected at the fisherman, destroying him. Mako lost 700 life points as a result, bringing him down to nine hundred.

Mako was in shock over Joey's attack, and then his shock turned into shame. "I destroyed my own fisherman...it was careless of me to let this happen."

Joey couldn't believe his ears. "It's just a card," he pointed out.

"It's more than just a card. I cannot be brave without it," responded Mako.

'_Does this guy have low self-esteem or what?'_ "What are you talking about? You're one of the bravest guys I know. You've gotta give yourself more credit than that, Mako."

The sea duelist sighed. "It's not that easy, Joey. The card reminds me of my father."

"Mako…" Joey couldn't believe how hard on himself Mako was being.

"It's my own fault. I crushed my inspiration."

Joey was beginning to lose patience. Mako was being difficult. But he knew yelling at his opponent wouldn't help. "That's not true. You don't need that card."

"Huh?"

"You've already got what you need. It's been inside you this entire duel," continued Joey. "You don't need some freaky looking fisherman sitting on a shark to inspire you. Do you hear what I'm saying?"

At that, Mako took offense. "Back off!"

'_That's the gratitude Mako shows when Joey is trying to help him? How ungrateful he is.' _ thought Vicki. _'He's lucky I'm not the one dueling him.' _ She brushed her long bangs out of her eyes.

'_Boy is this guy making it difficult when I am only trying to be nice.' _ "Look man," Joey began, trying to be patient, "what I am trying to say is you can be inspired by your dad without that card. There's something in every duelist that drives them."

"How would you know that, Joey?"

Joey was hoping he would ask that. "I know. I duel for my sister the same way you duel for your dad, and she inspires me even when she's not next to me. Your memories of your dad and your courage are inside your heart, not in that card. So don't be hard on yourself for destroying your Legendary Fisherman. What would your father say if he saw you?"

Mako looked thoughtful. _'Hmm, I never thought Joey could relate to the way I look at dueling. It's true; father would scold me for being as hard as I am on myself. '_

"Anyway, let's get back to this duel," said Joey.

"Yeah, let's get on with the duel so I can win. You've made a great comeback, but it all ends here! Fortress Whale, dispose of his Panther Warrior!"

"I'm gonna have to stop you! I reveal my other face down card, Kunai with Chain!" The long chain wrapped around the whale's horn and Panther Warrior jumped on his back. "This card stops your whale from attacking and raises my Panther Warrior's attack strength by 500 points, giving it 2500!"

"It is still weaker than my monster," Mako stated.

"That's what you think. Panther Warrior, attack his whale now!" The panther stabbed the whale but didn't even scratch it.

"It can't!"

There were shocked expressions on the faces of everyone in the audience."Why would Wheeler attack a creature that is clearly stronger than his? Is he that much of an amateur? "people were asking amongst themselves.

"It can't!" said Mako. "My monster is stronger than yours so the minute you attack it will be destroyed!"

Joey was glad he could outsmart Mako once again. "It's true my Panther Warrior's attack power is slightly lower than your whale's but you seem to be forgetting something."

"And what is that?"

Joey pointed to the card he still had face down. "This face down card down here."

"What about it?"

"I'm glad you asked," answered Joey with a wide grin on his face. He revealed the magic card, Lightning Blade. "This card raises my Panther Warrior by 800 points!"

"Oh no!" said Mako as he knew what that meant. Panther Warrior would have 3300 attack points, more than enough to destroy his Fortress Whale.

"Say goodbye to your Fortress Whale and most of your life points!" The wild cat electrocuted Mako's monster, leaving him with only 150 life points. "Any last words?"

"Yes, in fact, I have six. This duel is not over yet."

"Now you're talking. Give it your best shot."

"I intend to." Mako drew his card. _'I survived the previous turn, but just barely. But I know that I will win.'_ "I play Return of the Doomed. This allows me to resurrect one of my defeated monsters and hide it underwater."

"Not again," Joey groaned. _'What if my monster isn't strong enough to defeat what's hiding down there? Oh well, I'm gonna have to really trust in the heart of the cards.'_ He knew everyone was waiting for him to make a move. "Here goes." He drew a card. _"Giant Trunade. I can use this to dry up Mako's ocean. Without it whatever monster he is hiding will be weakened. It's worth a try.'_

"What on earth are you waiting for?!" yelled Mako, clearly becoming impatient. "Hurry up so I can win this duel!"

"Okay, okay, don't have a hissy fit." Joey mockingly rubbed his temples. "I activate my magic card, Giant Trunade! Drain the sea!" The cyclone swept up the ocean like a mighty wind from a hurricane, and revealed Mako's resurrected monster, which happened to be Legendary Fisherman.

Mako could hardly believe what was going on before his eyes. Joey was going to win! He was sure he would be able to beat him, since the blonde was a slightly weaker duelist than Yugi."You exposed my fisherman. Just finish him off."

"Will do." Joey sacrificed one of his Scapegoats. "Panther Warrior, attack!" The feline warrior stabbed the fisherman, which took Mako's life points down to zero.

'_I will never give up, Father,'_ the sea duelist thought. His eyes filled with tears and cascaded down his face.

"Yay, Joey won!" cheered Tèa.

Joey was concerned when he saw this. Why would Mako be crying? He hoped it wasn't because of the defeat. "You all right, Mako?"

Mako quickly wiped his tears away. "Yes, that was an excellent duel. Congratulations." He looked through his deck for the rare cards and two locator cards and handed them to Joey. "Here are my two rarest cards and two locator cards."

Joey took the cards from him and examined them. "Very kind of you, but you don't have to give me your fisherman card," he said, preparing to give it back to his opponent.

"Yes I do. You earned those cards, and besides, you were right. My courage and memories of my father are inside my heart."

Joey was glad he got through to Mako. "Thank you. And don't worry; I'll treat it with respect."

"You'd better. And best of luck in the finals!"

"Thanks. You're all right, Mako!" The two duelists exchanged a high five.

* * *

Ishizu had seen the evil plot concocted by Marik and the evil spirit of the ring with her millennium necklace, and was very disturbed by it. _'Now is the time to find my last challenge.'_ She found the two men in charge of the museum. "I must take an extended leave of absence. Once again, thank you for allowing me to work here. It has been an honor," she said.

"It has been our pleasure to have you, Ms. Ishtar, and we hope you will honor us with your work again."

"I will, someday soon." The young woman went back to the room with the stone tablets, where Keren was waiting for her.

"How did it go?" asked Keren. Her finger finally felt better, even though it still pained her some.

"I have permission to leave now," answered Ishizu.

"That's wonderful." Keren just hoped she and Ishizu wouldn't be too late. _'I wonder what Odion is up to now. I hope he hasn't gotten into mischief.'_

"Are you ready to go?" asked Ishizu.

"Yes. Let's go." Ishizu and Keren left the museum together.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

* * *

Marik and the dark spirit of the millennium ring were still standing in the alley, and had just completed their little "shadow duel" to determine which one of them was strongest. It turned out that they were nearly evenly matched. This hadn't surprised the Egyptian, as his item sensed a tremendous evil force.

Marik gave an evil grin. His mind had just concocted a diabolical scheme regarding Yugi and his friends. "Now, to put together the plan."

Yami Bakura cocked an eyebrow. "Just to be clear, which plan are you speaking of?" He hoped it was one involving what he and Marik had just discussed regarding the items they both sought. Waiting was not something the dark spirit enjoyed doing.

Marik gave a wicked grin. "I am glad you asked. Our little agreement is just a backup plan, in case my current plan doesn't work."

The dark spirit's grin faltered. It seemed Marik was trying his patience on purpose. "Look, Marik, I don't have time for this! There is work to be done."

Marik gave the spirit an amused look. _'How demanding he is.'_ "Patience, my friend. You will be involved in this scheme as well. " Truth was he had just thought of the idea and found it convenient that he crossed paths with the dark spirit.

Yami Bakura's temper subsided a bit, but he still looked at Marik warily. "And just what scheme is that?"

Marik gave another wicked grin. "Well, I intend to use Little Yugi's friends to crush him and I will need your help."

The sinister spirit of the ring knew where Marik was going with this. Usually he would have snapped something like, "Do it on your own" but for the first time he felt compelled to cooperate with the cornsilk haired young man, and he knew how closely his hikari was connected to Yugi and his friends. "I see…you want me to inflict harm on my weaker half so you can have a reason to cross paths with those fools."

Marik's grin widened. "Precisely." _ 'Pharaoh, I hope you're prepared to meet your demise.'_

The evil spirit smiled. "I think that can be arranged." He reached into his pants pocket and took out a small dagger. He plunged the blade of the dagger deep into the bicep of his left arm, gave a grimace and pulled it out. It stung terribly, but the spirit was oddly turned on by the feeling. _'After all, my weak side will suffer much more than I will._' Blood immediately squirted everywhere. Some almost got on Marik's shirt, but he stepped back. It was a good thing he did because soon there was a small pool of blood.

The blonde young man smirked. _'Excellent. I will gain the trust of those fools for sure.'_

The evil spirit disappeared, letting his hikari take control. Feeling weak from the blood loss and overcome by excruciating pain, the young man collapsed.

* * *

(Battle City)

Joey was bursting with excitement and pride over having obtained all six locator cards in a timely manner. The part which made him most proud was the fact that he made it by defeating three of the most experienced duelists.

"Tèa, lend me your cell phone please," said the blonde. "I want to check on my sis."

Tèa sighed...she didn't feel like digging in her knapsack for her phone. Plus she wasn't sure how much longer the phone's battery would last. She reached into her bag, pulled out her phone and handed it to Joey. "Just don't talk on it for too long. The battery is low."

"Don't worry, I won't be long." He took the phone and dialed the number to Serenity's room.

'_Ring, ring.' _ "Hello, Serenity speaking."

Joey gave a wide grin as he thought about the news he had for his sister. "Hey Serenity, it's your big brother."

"Hey Big Brother! What's up?"

Joey noted how excited Serenity sounded. _'She must have some exciting news as well.'_ "Guess what?! I've made it to the finals!"

"That's great, Joey! I knew you could do it! I also have some great news!"

'_So I was right.'_ "Oh yeah? What is it?"

"Well, the doctor told me I have almost completely recovered and my eyes have healed enough to take off the bandage any day," answered Serenity. "I will also be released from the hospital."

Joey's excitement grew, but he opted to control it as best as he could since it was a telephone conversation. "That's awesome news, Serenity."

'_This is perfect timing. For a little while I was worried I wouldn't get to take off the bandages in time.'_ "I would like to see you duel in Battle City. And would you teach me how to duel as well?"

"Sure! I think that can be arranged!" answered Joey, to both questions. _'Not that I know quite everything there is to know about dueling, but thanks to the teachers I had, I can teach her a thing or two about dueling.' _

"Great! See you later then."

"Later." Joey hung up the phone and could not contain his excitement any longer. He tossed the phone into the air.

Tèa gasped in horror as she saw Joey do this. '_Such a careless clod! If my phone battery dies, he's dead meat! I should never have lent it to him.'_ It was about to hit Vicki in the head but luckily Tèa caught it just in time.

"Hey!" yelled the short-haired brunette. "My phone is not a toy to be tossed around, you know!"

"Do you have any idea how expensive cell phones are?" added Vicki.

Joey looked sheepish. "Sorry. I am just excited because Serenity is doing well enough to remove her bandages and be released from the hospital today."

"Oh! That's wonderful news!" exclaimed Tèa.

"I have said many prayers for her," said Vicki.

"Thanks guys. I appreciate the support and I know she appreciates it too," said Joey. "She wants to come to Battle City, but there is one problem. I don't know when I will have the time to pick her up. "

Tristan looked at his best friend strangely and pointed to himself, trying to give Joey a hint. "I'll pick her up, you goof ball! After all, you didn't let me spend any time with her yet! This will be my chance to get to know her!" He ran off before the blonde could object.

Joey shook his fist. _'That little sneak…he had better not flirt with her or else!' _

"Calm yourself, Joey," said Vicki. "It won't be so bad."

"It had better not be if he knows what's good for him," answered Joey.

"Oh no! Look!" Joey, Mr. Mutou and Vicki heard Tèa exclaim. They looked to see why. A young cornsilk blonde man with tanned skin, dressed in effeminate clothing approached them, with a severely wounded Bakura. Bakura looked extremely pale and his left arm appeared to be bleeding, even though it was bandaged. It was such an upsetting sight.

"What's the matter with Bakura?" inquired Vicki, going over to the two young men._ 'Well this day is just great! Here I thought it would be a wonderful day and one of my friends gets hurt. If anyone had dared to lay a finger on him, they will live to regret it.' _ She was fuming, but didn't show it, for fear of scaring the stranger away, whoever he was.

Marik smirked discreetly. He couldn't believe his luck with the plan to ensnare Yugi's friends. _'Trapping these fools will be a piece of cake. They trust me already. Quite frankly, kindness is a sickening emotion, but it is part of the plan.'_ There was no way he would tell them he caused it. What type of believable story could he concoct without risking losing their trust? It quickly came to him.

"I am not entirely sure," Marik lied. "I just found him lying on the ground. I did my best tending to his injuries. Do you know him?"

"Yes! We're buddies," spoke up Joey. He went over to Bakura.

Bakura slowly opened his eyes. "Joey," he said weakly.

"Bakura! Who did this to you?!" demanded Joey. He clenched his fists, thinking about how he would find the culprit, and if he did, things would not be pretty.

The white haired young man clutched at his aching left arm. "It happened so quickly…I cannot remember." What was more frustrating than the memory lapses was the fact that he did not know why his arm stung so much.

"He should seek further medical attention as soon as possible," said Marik.

"You are right, young man. I'll take him to see a doctor right away," said Mr. Mutou. He opened the passenger side of his car. Joey took Bakura's unconscious body from Marik and helped him inside, shutting the door. Mr. Mutou drove away.

'_Hang in there, Bakura. I don't know who did such a thing to you but I hope you will be all right,'_ thought Joey as he watched Yugi's grandfather drive off.

Now that Bakura was taken to the hospital, Vicki used this moment to take a good look at his rescuer. She was star struck by what she saw and felt weak in the knees. _'Oh my...those purple eyes, his Egyptian jewelry…he is very attractive. I hope this laddie is as beautiful inside as he is outside.'_

"Thanks a lot for saving Bakura. Your name is…" Joey gave an embarrassed grin. _'I only wish I knew this guy's name.'_ He wasn't sure how to ask Marik.

Marik was in such an uncomfortable position. He was being asked to introduce himself by a friend of his greatest enemy. _'However, I dare not reveal my real name to these fools…I will have to come up with a false identity quickly.' _ "Oh, you must pardon my poor manners," said Marik, plastering an uneasy expression on his face. "I'm Namu. What's your name?" He extended a hand towards the blonde.

"The name's Joey." He shook Marik's hand.

"I'm Tèa."

"And my name is Victoria, but you may call me Vicki if you prefer." Vicki was finding it difficult to look Marik in the eye, which had almost never happened to her when speaking to a guy before.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," said Marik as he shook the hands of Tèa and Vicki. _'I have to admit, the girl called Vicki is rather attractive…a pity she will become one of my pawns.'_

"Hey, is that a duel disk on your arm?" asked Joey. _'Just my luck. It would be cool if he were a duelist as well. Maybe we could play Duel Monsters sometime.'_

"Yes, but I am not a very good duelist, I'm afraid," replied Marik, pretending to sound modest. "You are not challenging me to a duel, are you?" _'Not that you would stand a chance against me.'_

"No, I don't have to," answered Joey proudly. "I already have all six locator cards."

'_Excellent. You will be perfect for dueling on my behalf.'_ "Impressive. You must be quite talented. Would you mind giving me a few dueling tips? I would like to win at least one duel in Battle City."

Joey laughed nervously. He didn't want to be a show-off, but he was flattered by such a request. "No, not at all. I will be able to fit you in, now that I don't have to duel anymore until the finals."

"Thank you so much. I appreciate it," said Marik.

"Don't mention it. Just let me know when you're ready."

'_Naïve fool, your advice will be needed sooner than you think,'_ thought Marik, sneering inwardly.

All of a sudden, Joey's tummy started growling. He hadn't eaten anything yet for the day and he was beginning to realize just how famished he was. _'I hope Namu didn't hear that. What was I thinking, dueling so long without eating? It's a miracle I was able to function at all. I'd better get some grub before the finals start.'_

"Guys, if I don't get some food soon, I'm gonna pass out," Joey said to Tèa and Vicki. At that moment, the growling in his stomach became even louder.

Tèa rolled her eyes, whilst Vicki simply said, "I am surprised you hadn't said anything sooner. I didn't expect you to duel on an empty stomach for as long as you did. I could have brought some munchies just for you."

Vicki mustered up the nerve to look Marik in the eye. "Well, Namu, I guess we'd better get going now." _'Okay. That wasn't so bad.'_

"Smell ya later," said Joey. He, Vicki and Tèa walked away. "Seems like a nice enough guy, doesn't he?" the blonde commented.

"Yes he does," answered Tèa.

"I think so too," agreed Vicki. Her face flushed as she spoke. _'That was odd. Why do I feel so shy around that lad? And why was my skin tingling when he shook my hand? Surely it can't be love. I just met him.'_ Was it a crush? Possibly.

Marik gave an evil grin as he watched Yugi's friends leave. _'Those fools have no idea of the danger that's in store for them. Their naivety will be their undoing.'_

* * *

Yugi, with his yami still in control, went to the aquarium with Kaiba. Kaiba felt compelled to assist him in locating his friends with his tracking system, and the aquarium was where Joey's duel disk was tracked.

Unfortunately, there was no trace of either Joey or the remainder of the gang. There was just a crowd of people watching the killer whale do its tricks.

Yami frowned. _'This is strange. Kaiba told me they were here. Why would the tracking system say Joey is here when he isn't? Could the tracking system be wrong?'_ Kaiba had no reason to lie to him—unless he was just appeasing the ancient spirit in order to get him to accept the duel challenge, which was a great possibility, given that the CEO was not keen on helping in the first place. But if that were the case, why did the former world champion volunteer?

"Kaiba, it seems as though you were wrong," said Yami gravely.

Kaiba gave his rival an indignant look. _'My tracking system wrong? Impossible! My equipment is state of the ark.' _"Relax, Yugi. I am constantly getting signals from Joey Wheeler's duel disk. There is nothing to worry about."

But Yami was not so sure. _'Joey could be in danger as we speak.'_ He frantically ran off.

Kaiba laughed huffily, amused by his rival's behavior. "I fail to see what Yugi sees in that small fry of a duelist," the young ceo pondered aloud. He followed Yami. _'After all, without my assistance, Yugi could be all day searching for those goody-two-shoes ditzes.'_

* * *

Marik had signaled to his rare hunters that it was time to put the next part of his diabolical plan into motion. Before he completely lost sight of Joey and the others, he ran after them at the last minute. The henchmen stayed nearby.

"Joey, I don't mean to be an inconvenience to you, but will you give me a few dueling tips right now, before you go?" Marik called after the blonde.

Joey, Tèa and Vicki stopped in their tracks and turned to face Marik. A group of robed men proceeded to slowly walk up behind them and Marik. _'These numbskulls don't even know we are behind them…this ambush will be simpler than I thought,'_ thought one of the rare hunters.

'_Rats! Now getting some grub will have to wait.'_ "Sure I will," answered Joey, trying his best not to be annoyed about having his lunch break interrupted. _'He must want me to die from hunger or something.'_

Joey was thinking about which tip to give his new "friend" when all of a sudden, he heard Marik yell, "Joey! Look out! Behind you!" A rare hunter grabbed the cornsilk blonde from behind. He feigned a frightened look. The rare hunter punched him in the face, threw him on the ground and proceeded to kick him in the stomach and back, knocking the wind out of him.

"Huh?" Joey spun around to see what Marik was talking about. He saw a robed man preparing to strike him. He got out of the way in time, but just barely. But he saw a couple men beating up Tèa. He punched the rare hunters in the jaw. "Let go of her! Didn't your mother ever teach you that guys are not supposed to hit girls?!"

One of the still standing rare hunters grabbed Tèa in a tight hold, preventing her from escaping. She tried her hardest to free herself, but it was no use. He was much too strong. "What do you want? Let me go!"

As Joey prepared to attack the robed man who got a hold of Tèa, the ones he had attacked pushed him down.

Vicki took one look at what was going on, and was not impressed. _'Oh no, there are too many of these scumbags. Although I am not supposed to do my martial arts, it seems I have no choice. I won't stand for this.'_

"Look, there is another girlie we can have some fun with," said one of the rare hunters, after they were through with Joey. They smirked and walked towards Vicki.

'_Not if I can help it.' _ "Take this, you dickheads! Heeya!" The chocolate haired teen ran towards the rogue men and did a split leap kick. The rare hunters fell to the ground. She stomped them on the back. She saw that there were still a couple of the robed men beating up Marik. She kicked one in the crotch and tripped the other one.

All of a sudden Tèa's cell phone started ringing, but it was in her small knapsack. A rare hunter with longish bluish green hair laughed. "Too bad your friend won't be speaking to you." He took her bag from her.

"Get out of my stuff!" ordered Tèa, annoyed.

This incensed Vicki more. She _despised_ invasion of privacy. "I'm afraid that doesn't belong to you!" She played her Ninja Bomb trap card. The ninja threw the bomb and an explosion ensued. The rare hunter was so taken off guard that he dropped the bag.

"Aha!" Vicki snatched up the bag, unzipped it and pulled out the phone. She hid in a corner and answered it. "Hello? Oh hello there, Yugi. No, this is Vicki. Not too bad, but had to fight off some of those robed freaks who are after Joey and Tèa. We are in the center of Battle City, by a large tree. All right. I will see you soon. " The young teen flipped her hair over her shoulders. _'Gee if I knew all this was gonna happen today I would have put my hair up.' _ Her hips started to ache from all the martial arts skills she did. _'Oh well. It had to be done. Speaking of which, I wonder how Namu is doing. I should go check on him. '_

* * *

Mokuba was on the way to meet up with his big brother. He had decided to help find Yugi's friends as well. _'After all, they have been good to me, even though we had our differences at first. That guy Yugi had to duel sure was creepy. I hope he will be all right.'_

All of a sudden, the young boy got this eerie feeling that he was being watched and something terrible would happen. He looked around and saw no one. _'I guess I am just imagining things and scared over nothing, even though one can never be too careful with all those rare hunters around the city.'_ Mokuba shuddered at the thought of facing the rare hunters head on. _'I hope that's not why I feel this way.'_ He kept on walking.

Unbeknownst to Mokuba, a group of robed men were spying on him from on top of the building. One of the men laughed to himself. _'That little brat doesn't even know we're here. This kidnapping job is a piece of cake. Now is our cue.'_ He gave his colleagues the signal that it was time to let their presence be known. They leapt from the building, a few feet in front of the raven haired young lad.

Mokuba's eyes widened with fright at such sudden noise. He looked up only to see a rare hunter. He felt his stomach beginning to churn. _'Just great. What could these creeps want with me?'_ "Who are you?" he cried.

"Someone who is about to become your worst nightmare," answered the rare hunter. He looked at the little boy. _'Master Marik will be pleased when I capture this wimp!'_

'_We'll see about that! If these jerks think they will mess with me, they had better think again!' _ The frightened little boy took off running. He hadn't gotten very far when suddenly, he was tripped down. It was Odion.

"AAAAH!" screamed Mokuba as he fell on his derriere. He dropped his briefcase as well.

"What's the rush?" asked a deep voice. "You will not escape us, little boy."

Mokuba slowly looked up to see who said and did that. It was a tall man with tan skin and a tattoo on his face dressed in a cape like the other rare hunters. _'This jerk is so big and buff…no way will I escape him.'_ "Leave me alone! You're one of those rare hunters, aren't you?"

"Perhaps I am, and you're our prey," answered Odion. The other rare hunters let loose evil laughter in agreement. They surrounded Mokuba, grabbed him and carried him off. Odion picked up the brief case.

Although this was a simple task, Odion felt a bit ashamed for lowering himself to such a level of evil when he thought about his last conversation with Keren. He had no doubt that if she saw him now, she would definitely despise him. She would despise him for capturing Mokuba, if not for any other reason. _'I have no time for such idle distractions. There is work to be done.'_

* * *

Ishizu saw the vision of the kidnapping with her Millennium Necklace, and knew she had to find her final opponent, now or never. Of course if her necklace was correct, that would not do any good, but at least she would be one step closer to saving her brother from the darkness. There did not seem to be any potential opponents in the midst of Battle City, so she and Keren went elsewhere.

Keren noted that the younger woman seemed a bit pensive ever since they both left the museum. "Is something the matter, Ishizu? You seem troubled."

Ishizu wondered if she should tell the Israeli what was going on without risking worrying her. _'Hmm. I don't have to tell her all .A version of the truth will do.'_ "According to my necklace, Odion is up to no good once again, and Kaiba and Yugi are facing danger."

"Oh dear…" Keren placed her hands over her head. _'To think I was starting to have hope.' _She wondered if Odion was trying to appease her the last time she saw him. A part of her was glad she wasn't with him at the moment. "It's hopeless."

The Egyptian gave Keren a hard look. "Don't ever say such things. You must remain optimistic."

"If you say so." Keren wasn't so sure.

The two young women came to a park where some children were dueling each other. A little boy of about eleven years old was searching for a potential challenge.

'_Oh rats! There doesn't seem to be a person available…at this rate I will never make it to the finals...not that I ever had a chance, anyway.'_ The little boy was about to leave the park and head for home when he spotted Ishizu and Keren. _'Oh, I have seen that lady before! She used to work at the Domino Museum and she had all those cool items! And she has a duel disk on, too! Maybe she will duel against me.' _ He walked up to Ishizu.

"Hi there. My name is Shiro. You are Miss Ishizu, aren't you? I remember you from the show you held last week."

Ishizu looked a bit surprised. It was nice to know children were interested in her work. "Why, yes I am."

Shiro nervously twiddled his thumbs and looked at the floor. _'I hope she doesn't think I'm a bother.'_ He felt tongue-tied. "Oh! I have been waiting to meet you for a long time," he managed to say. "Will you duel with me? An official Battle City duel?"

"I certainly will." The Egyptian woman activated her duel disk.

Shiro was so happy that he felt like jumping up and down, but decided it wouldn't be exactly mature to do that in front of someone as refined as Ishizu. "Oh thank you so much! Let's do it!"

"You're welcome." _'For this duel I will not rely on the powers of my necklace for my victory. He is only a child.'_ She took off the necklace and placed it in her pocket.

"Duel!" The two duelists took their places on the playing field and drew their 5 cards. Keren stood next to the bench. _"I can watch from there,'_ she thought.

"I'll let you go first," the little boy offered. _'I can't wait to see what this lady has in store. '_

"How gentlemanly of you." Ishizu drew a card. _'Not too bad. But it won't be of any use to me right now.'_ "I summon Keldo in defensive mode." An unusual looking fairy appeared on the field. It was aquamarine and gold. "I also activate the powerful magic card, Michizure of Doom! This card requires for both of us to choose two cards for the opponent to discard. I choose Jinzo and Heavy Storm."

"What on earth? How does she know I have those cards?" Shiro muttered to himself. _'This lady is giving me the creeps…is she psychic or something? She can't be cheating as she never saw my cards...but somehow she is right. '_ Mystified, Shiro sent the cards to the graveyard. "You show me your cards, too."

Ishizu did so.

"Send Exchange of the Spirits and Swords of Revealing Light to the graveyard."

"Very well." Ishizu discarded the chosen cards. "That ends my turn."

'_Wow, Miss Ishizu sure is good. But I will try my best to beat her. I definitely can't let her little trick psych me out,'_ thought Shiro. He drew a card. "I play Petit Angel in defense mode and end my turn." (900 def)

"_Very strange...this boy seems to be playing it safe. I cannot hold back.'_ "I summon Agido in attack mode! (1500 attk) I switch my Keldo into attack mode as well. Keldo, attack his Petit Angel!" The defense monster was destroyed. "Agido, attack his life points directly!" Shiro winced as the attack hit him. He lost 1500 lifepoints from the attack and was down to 2500 life points as a result. "It's your turn."

'_Man, this lady is tough! How am I gonna beat her now?'_ Shiro wondered to himself. He began to wonder if he was wrong to challenge Ishizu in the first place. _'No. I can't doubt myself now. Even if I lose to this woman, maybe I can learn a thing or two from her.'_ He drew his card. _'Cyber Harpie…she is powerful enough to beat Agido, but that's the best I can do now.'_ "I call Cyber Harpie to the field in attack mode!" (1800 attk) The female semi-humanoid, semi-vulture monster with long red hair materialized. "Cyber Harpie, attack Agido!" The female winged creature slashed the Egyptian-style fairy with her deadly claws. Ishizu lost 300 life points as a result, bringing her life points down to 3700. "Let's see what you've got. "

"Impressive." Ishizu drew a card. _'I will hold this card until the time is right.'_ "I summon Mudora in attack mode!" (1500 attk) She also played a magic card, Sword of Dogra, which raised his attack points to 2000. "Mudora, attack his Cyber Harpie!" The female bird monster was slashed, making Shiro's life points drop to 2300. "Keldo, attack his life points directly!" Shiro lost 1200 life points, bringing him down to 1100. "I shall place one card face down. That ends my turn. The end is near for you. What will you do now?"

'_She's right. There is no way I can fight back now with my life points so low. Even so, I will not quit!'_ He drew another card. _'Awesome! I can use this card to help block any attacks from her monsters!'_

"I activate my trap card, Muko!" announced the Egyptian. "It requires for you to send the card you just drew to the graveyard."

"Oh man!" moaned Shiro. _'That was one of my best cards.'_ Shiro reluctantly discarded his Gravity Bind card.

"I summon Zorga!" (1700 attk) This fairy looked like a cape with a head on top. "I also switch my Keldo into defense mode and end my turn." (1600 def points)

'_Okay...this is my last chance. Have to make the most of it!'_ "I give up 800 of my life points in order to activate my magic card, Premature Burial! I will use it to bring back my Cyber Harpie!" Cyber Harpie reappeared on the field. "I equip her with a magic card, Arrow Nail! It raises her attack strength by 300 points!"

"I am ready for your attack," said Ishizu.

"You got it!" Shiro drew a card. "Cyber Harpie, slice her Keldo to bits!" The female bird monster stabbed the fairy with her nail weapon. "Make your move. I can't wait to see it."

Ishizu gave the boy a reserved smile. "You fought very well for someone on your level. However, this duel will end with my victory." She drew a card. "I sacrifice Mudora and Zorga in order to summon Wing Weaver!" (2750 attk) A very regal female fairy emerged. "Wing Weaver, attack Cyber Harpie!

Shiro watched as his monster was destroyed and his lifepoints dropped to zero. His face was emotionless.

Ishizu had expected Shiro to be at least mildly disappointed at his loss. After all, he was just a kid. She was a bit surprised when he came over to her and said, "This duel was fun! I'm glad I got to duel with you."

"Likewise. You did an admirable job. Keep practicing and your skills will improve," said Ishizu.

"Thank you. It means a lot." The copper haired young boy flipped through his deck and took out his rarest card, Sacrifice's Blast. He handed the rare card as well as a locator card to the young woman.

"Thank you." Ishizu took a look at the rare card given to her. _'This card will be of wonderful use, when it comes to destroying the most powerful monsters.'_ She slipped it into her deck and started to leave.

"Wait! One more thing!" Shiro called after his opponent.

Ishizu stopped in her tracks. "Yes?"

Shiro took out a book from his knapsack. "Is it possible I can have your autograph?"

Ishizu looked embarrassed at such attention, but the boy's eyes were so kind and innocent, she couldn't turn the request down. She took the book from him and wrote on the inside cover, _'Best wishes to Shiro, from Ishizu Ishtar.'_ She handed the book back to him.

"Thank you so much!" Shiro was so excited he nearly fainted.

"Of course." Ishizu looked around for Keren and found her standing by the bench. She walked over to the older woman. "Let's go."

"Wonderful dueling as always, Ishizu," Keren congratulated Ishizu as they left the park together.

"I could not have done it without your support." With all six locator cards, Ishizu felt more prepared than ever to save her brother.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

* * *

Ishizu was glad she completed her final duel when she did because shortly after she and Keren left the park, her millennium necklace showed her another vision she considered unnerving. There was only so much she could do not to show how worried she was; she didn't want to worry Keren any more than she already was. But she couldn't keep hiding the entire truth from the Israeli, either.

"Come, let us return to the museum," said Ishizu. "There is something I must tell you."

"All right." Keren figured Ishizu wanted to go some place where their discussion wouldn't be overheard, whatever it would be about. Anxiety filled her as she followed Ishizu. She became more worried. _'Ishizu's voice sounded rather grim. Something must be really wrong. But what could it be?' _She had known Odion was up to no good, but that was all. Had he gotten hurt or something? The suspense was killing her.

'_Oh, I don't know how much more of this I can take,'_ thought Keren, smoothing her dress and heaving a sad sigh. She and Ishizu continued walking to the museum in silence, tactfully ignoring all of the noise from the duels that were going on.

The two young women arrived at Domino Museum, and entered. The museum was crowded as it usually was when Ishizu used to work there.

'_So I see things have not slowed down ever since I had taken my leave of absence,' _thought Ishizu. _'Well, no time to worry about that now.'_

Upon seeing the group of people, Ishizu knew revealing the details to Keren in the main section of the museum was out of the question. "Let's see if the basement that contains the stone tablets is available," she said.

"I hope it is." _'At this rate, no plans will ever be made and I will drive myself insane worrying.'_ She followed Ishizu to the basement, and to her relief, it was empty. Though how long it would stay that way, she was not certain. She discovered how much she liked the basement, as strange as it sounded. It was very peaceful when not crowded with people.

"So Ishizu, what's wrong?" asked Keren, brushing a long strand of hair from her face.

Ishizu looked directly in the older woman's hazel eyes. She could see worry in them. _'I know the truth will hurt her deeply, but it must be told so we can take a course of action.' _ "You recall when I told you that Odion was up to no good, do you not?"

"Yes?" Keren answered slowly.

"What I hadn't told you was he kidnapped the younger brother of Seto Kaiba," stated Ishizu.

"Oh no…" The young woman's olive skin turned pale and she felt queasy. It seemed to her like Odion was turning more and more to the dark side. Since when did he stoop to the level of harassing children?

"Also, the duel of Kaiba and the pharaoh versus the rare hunters is not going well. Kaiba refuses to cooperate with the pharaoh, thus giving the rare hunters an advantage."

Keren's disappointment turned into dismay for the moment. "Won't that young man ever learn…?"

"He will, sooner or later. I can assure you that," said Ishizu. She understood the older woman's frustration.

Suddenly the dark haired young woman's eyes were filled with a tinge of disgust at Odion's indiscretion. "What Odion has done is deplorable. This must stop."

Ishizu was a bit surprised at Keren's no-nonsense tone, but understood she was at her breaking point and to be honest, she didn't blame the older woman at all. "Agreed."

"The question is, what should we do?" Keren felt like smacking some sense into her male companion, but believed it might cause more trouble. Besides, Marik needed to be stopped as well, but she was not foolish enough to try doing such a thing to him.

"Once the finals begin, we will tell Marik the truth about his past." The one thing that gave the raven haired woman little comfort, if any at all, was the fact that her younger brother was only doing this because he believed it was the pharaoh who caused their father's death. She couldn't let him keep living a lie any longer.

"Sounds like an excellent plan," said Keren. "I wonder if it will work..."

"I am confident that with the pharaoh's help, we will be successful. He is the only one who can stop Marik."

* * *

Despite Vicki's best efforts to fight off the rare hunters, she, Tèa and Joey fell victim to them. Although she had knocked them out cold, they had been awakened with the power of Marik's millennium rod, shortly after Vicki was done checking up on the semi-antagonist. .

Three of the rare hunters grabbed a hold of Tèa and pulled her towards an abandoned warehouse of some sort. Because there were so many of them holding her down and she was so much smaller and weaker than they were, it was pointless for her to try and break free. "You jerks, let go of me!"

"I would keep my mouth shut if I were you!" said one of the robed men.

"You've got another thing coming if you think you will get away with this!"

The rare hunters smirked. "You don't scare us, girlie!" They continued to pull her towards the building. They were so forceful that they nearly dislocated her shoulder. The rugged men roughly led her to an empty room with a bunch of boxes. They gave the brunette a strong shove, causing her to stumble. _'What creeps!'_

The caped men laughed. "Enjoy your captivity." They exited the room and shut the door.

Tèa got back to her feet, her bottom sore from the fall. Her biceps were also sore from the rare hunters' strong grip on her. She peeked through the glass on the door. "Mark my words, you will regret doing this! Come back here!" the young girl called after the men as she watched them walk away.

Tèa gave an exasperated sigh. "Just great," she muttered to herself. _'I wonder if Vicki and Joey are faring any better than I am.'_ Come to think of it, she was worried about Yugi too. She could hear Vicki talking on the phone to him and he was supposed to have caught up with them. _'Something must have happened to him.'_

The brunette girl looked around for a possible way out, one where the rare hunters wouldn't see her trying to escape. _'If those jerks think they're gonna keep me cooped up in here, they're dumber than they look.'_ She spotted a window. _'Aha! I found a possible way out! It's gonna be difficult, but there is a way I can escape. I just hope I could pull it off.'_ She painstakingly began to climb on top of the stack of boxes. The boxes were not stacked very neatly. In fact, they were _extremely_ wobbly. She grabbed onto the windowsill, intending to pull herself up and then jump out the window. _'Almost there!' _ However, as soon as she stood on the stack of boxes, the boxes collapsed, causing her to fall and land on her bottom.

'_Ouch, that really hurt,'_ thought Tèa, rubbing her sore bottom. The dull ache grew worse thanks to the fall.

A few moments later, the rare hunters burst into the room and shoved Mokuba inside. "AHHH!" screeched the little boy as he fell. The rare hunters laughed and walked away, closing the door.

Tèa helped Mokuba to his feet. As glad as she was to see him, she felt bad the rare hunters got him as well. "Mokuba! Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I think so," answered the young boy. "How about you?"

"To be honest, I have been better. But it is good to see you."

"I know what you mean." His mind switched to his brother. _'Oh Seto…I hope you're all right, wherever you are.' _ "My brother and I had been looking for you and the others when the rare hunters grabbed me. "

Tèa shook her fist thinking of the rough way the caped men had dealt with her. "The nerve of those creeps!"

"Don't worry. Once my brother gets through with whatever he is doing, those jerks will pay!" vowed Mokuba.

"What do you think they want with us, anyway?" asked Tèa. She felt a bit silly for asking him that, but she figured he would know _something._

Mokuba shrugged his shoulders. It was hard to figure out those detestable people. "I think they wanted to use us as bait so my brother and Yugi would duel them. You see, they have Egyptian God cards that the rare hunters want to get their evil hands on."

'_Hmm…'_ the brunette mused to herself. "Are you sure that's all it is?"

"Yes…why?" Mokuba gave a curious frown. "Do you know something else?"

"Oh no. It's nothing." _'I suspect this could have something to do with what Ishizu said about the reawakening of ancient evil forces. There has got to be more to it than wanting rare cards.'_ But the brunette didn't want to tell Mokuba what was on her mind. She didn't want him to be more freaked out than he already was. "I will find a way out of here, so don't worry."

"Thanks, Tèa."

* * *

Meanwhile, Vicki was being carried off by Odion. He had grabbed her by the arm when she least expected it, while she was on her way to the gift shop to buy something to take to Bakura at the hospital. Usually she would break away, but his grip on her was so strong that it was near impossible for her to break free without injuring herself.

Mixed feelings of terror and indignation were in the young teen's mind. _'Oh, darn! And to think I was so close to escaping these ruffians! But this one is such a big guy I don't think I could win in a hand to hand combat battle against him. However that's not to say I won't fight if he does try anything funny.'_

"Where the hell are you taking me?" asked Vicki.

"You will see soon enough." Odion led the Scottish girl into the warehouse, into a room where she would be isolated from her other friends who were held captive. There was a little wooden chair in the midst of the room. He sat her down and picked up a piece of rope that was on the floor.

'_Okay, it's bad enough that this tattooed faced weirdo is treating me like a little girl. This is as far as he will go.'_ "Just what do you think you're doing, Mister?! Is that any way to treat a girl with arthritis? Have you no shame at all?" She felt annoyed with herself for the second question. _'Oh great. I sound pathetic. I can't believe I am expecting more than that from him, considering he is a rare hunter after all. '_

"Silence, you audacious fool," the tattooed face rare hunter barked. However, her words had struck something inside him—his conscience. The young teen spoke truth about how ladies should be treated. He knew he would never allow any harm to come to Keren, even though she had thoughts of opposing him. _'What would Keren think if she witnessed you behaving this way?' _ asked a voice in his head. He dropped the rope back onto the ground. He would just have to find some other way to ensure that she didn't escape. "My apologies for handling you so roughly."

Vicki was unsure of what to say. A rare hunter apologizing to her? It was hard to believe, considering how sleazy all of them seemed to be. _'Could this laddie be different from the others? Or is he just pulling a fast one on me, to distract me? You never know with these slimeballs.'_ Vicki looked up and her grayish eyes met Odion's eyes. As imposing as he seemed to be when standing over her, she wasn't completely intimidated by him. _'Now that I think of it, his eyes are rather handsome…he can hypnotize someone with them.'_ Looking into his eyes, she didn't see any hint of malice or even hatred, but rather loneliness. She could also tell that his apology was sincere. "Apology accepted," she finally managed to reply. _'I wonder what possessed him to do that stuff anyway.'_

Odion nodded in response. He exited the room and shut the door. He locked it, since binding the girl to the chair was out of the question.

'_Well, that was an annoying waste of time,'_ thought Vicki, rubbing her bicep area which hurt from being grabbed so tightly. _'Yikes, I hope he didn't break it.'_ The arthritis in her hips started to flare up as well, but her agony was the least of her problems. The room smelt a bit funny. _'This old warehouse smells like dirty socks. Have to find a way to get out of here. If that guy thinks I'm gonna stay cooped up in this musky old room, he's got another thing coming.'_

* * *

Bakura was in his hospital room, resting. Mr. Mutou was there, monitoring his progress. He was pleased to see that the young man's condition had improved slightly, even though he was still in poor shape. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness. Numerous tests had been run on him as a precaution. To compensate for the amount of blood he lost from the stab wound, a blood transfusion was in progress via an IV needle. To treat the wound itself, a gauze had been used to stop the bleeding. Once the hemorrhaging had slowed down somewhat, the damaged area was heavily bandaged.

"Not to worry…you'll be all right. Just get some rest," said the elderly man to Bakura's uneasily resting form. "I just wish I knew who had done this to you." It was so hard, seeing the young man in distress and not knowing the reason why. _'Yugi will not be too happy if and when he finds out what has happened. Speaking of Yugi, I haven't seen or heard from him since this morning. I wonder how he is progressing in the tournament.'_

Bakura's yami took over and gave an evil smirk. _'Foolish old man…I don't need your pity. I am not weak like my worthless hikari, so this wound is nothing to me.'_

(Rare hunter's hideout)

Marik was back at the pier, relaxing in a chair for a bit. He pondered the way things were going thus far. He found it hard to believe how relatively simple it was to execute the first part of his plan. _'Everything else should fall into place. With Kaiba and Little Yugi tied up at the moment, no one will be able to stop me!'_ The cornsilk blonde gave an evil smirk.

His mind switched to Vicki, thinking about how she showed concern for him when he pretended to be reeling from the rare hunters' attacks, how he was nearly taken by her gray-blue eyes, and the fact that she had nearly escaped his trap. _'Why am I thinking about that foolish girl? As alluring as she may be, I have no patience for meaningless distractions. Speaking of distractions, I have noticed Keren has mysteriously disappeared since my arrival to Domino City. Perhaps it is for the best, for Odion can better concentrate on his mission without her presence.'_

In actuality, Marik thought Odion had done an excellent job remaining neutral towards the young woman, but he didn't think such a risk should be taken. From his point of view, it was better to be safe than sorry.

* * *

The duel against Lumis and Umbra looked very dire for Kaiba and Yami, to say the least. The two robed menfound a way to deplete their opponents' life points without using monsters and to make matters worse, the two young men were unable to summon any powerful monsters.

"Destroying these imbeciles is a simpler task than I imagined, wouldn't you agree, Umbra?" Lumis asked the aqua haired man.

"You are right," answered Umbra. "They will both fall against The Masked Beast!"(3200 attk) He shot Kaiba and Yami a sneer. "It's your turn, Yugi. It will be interesting to see how you will deal with this predicament."

"I will!" The ancient pharaoh glanced at the cards in his hands. _'That's easier said than done! At the moment, chances of defeating their Masked Beast are slim to none, unless the duel could be turned around. I could use Card Destruction to start fresh, but what if Kaiba has a plan? I could end up ruining his strategy without meaning to. But then again, I would never know, because he refuses to cooperate, whereas the rare hunters have combined the power of their decks since the beginning of this duel.'_

Kaiba turned to his rival. "Why the hesitation, Yugi? Neither of us can sacrifice any monsters because of that wretched masked card, so if you have a way to change that, do it already!"

"But what will you do?" asked Yami.

"Don't worry about me! These two numbskulls may _think_ they can defeat me, but that's all about to change."

As impatient as Kaiba was being, Yami was more relieved than he let on. The CEO was actually giving him the okay to have him discard his hand. _'Here goes.'_ "I activate the magic card, Card Destruction!"

"WHAT?!" The rare hunters belted out. They happened to have been holding a couple of cards they planned to use on their next turn.

"Yes! This card requires all four of us to discard the cards in our hands and draw that many new cards in order to start anew. So let's go, Lumis and Umbra!" Yami discarded the three cards he was holding and drew three new cards. Kaiba did the same.

Grumbling, Lumis and Umbra discarded the cards they held and drew their new cards. "You will regret this move, you fools. All you two are doing are prolonging your inevitable defeat!" said Lumis.

"You two sicken me!" Kaiba scoffed. "It's my turn!" The CEO drew a card. "I activate the magic card, Monster Reborn! I will use it to resurrect my mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon!"(3000 attk) A pale blue dragon materialized onto the field, giving a mighty roar. Kaiba gave a sinister-sounding laugh.

For the first time since the beginning of the duel, Yami felt hopeful that he and Kaiba would be able to turn things around. _'If only I can get him to cooperate…at least for this one duel. Without his help, we will both be doomed.'_


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

* * *

Kaiba was not surprised by his good fortune of being able to summon one of his most trusted beasts to the field, despite Lumis' trap card preventing him and Yami from making any sacrifices. _'Such fools...they should have known better than to challenge me or disrespect my family! I will see to it that they suffer the most painful defeat!'_ "Your chances of defeating me have become non-existent!"

Lumis laughed. "You may have managed to summon one of your most prized monsters onto the field; however, it is no match for the all-powerful Masked Beast! I think you have absolutely lost it!"

Kaiba sneered. "What's the matter? Are you upset because I am about to steal your glory? You two snakes are so full of yourselves that your egos are easily bruised. "

"Kaiba…" Yami began. He was unsure of how to tell Kaiba that he oftentimes behaved the same way he was accusing the rare hunters of acting.

Kaiba's taunting made the two rare hunters grit their teeth. "We have to destroy these insolent fools," said Umbra.

"We will," Lumis reassured his friend and dueling partner. "We just have to use these next few turns wisely."

Kaiba glanced at Yami. He had a feeling he knew what was on his rival's mind. "Yugi…when you waited to play your Card Destruction card so I can resurrect my Blue Eyes, you were trying to show me the power of cooperation, weren't you? Well I hate to disappoint you, but I do not intend to help you with my Blue Eyes White Dragon unless I absolutely have to."

Yami was becoming frustrated with Kaiba. "Kaiba, if we don't come to an agreement, we will lose the duel. It's why the rare hunters have had the upper hand for most of this duel."

"Nonsense," scoffed Kaiba.

"Kaiba…."

"Yugi is right!" said Lumis. "While you two fools were busy arguing, my partner and I have managed to come up with an unstoppable strategy. Say goodbye to your Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"Kaiba! You mustn't listen to him," said Yami. "You can destroy the Masked Beast!"

The ceo looked at Yami in disbelief. It was unlike his rival to suggest attacking a monster that is clearly stronger than his. "What? I can?"

"Yes," answered Yami. "If you don't attack, the rare hunters may find a way to defeat your dragon on the next turn. Just trust me."

Kaiba had to admit that Yami was probably correct when he said Blue Eyes could possibly be destroyed. _'Why would Yugi tell me to attack when my monster is no match for that eyesore? Has he implemented a strategy I know nothing about? The only way to find out is to follow his advice, as much as I hate the thought of taking orders.'_ "All right. Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack with your white lightning!"

The two robed men watched in amusement. "Well, well, it looks like the pathetic duelists have given up!" said Umbra. "They are about to pay the price for making such a careless mistake! Masked Beast, attack!"

But as the monster prepared to launch its attack, Blue Eyes fired its lightning blast attack, destroying the creature. The two robed men's mouths dropped open when they saw what just happened.

Kaiba gave a smug grin. _'Good riddance.'_

"But how? How could your Blue Eyes have destroyed my monster when it was no match?" asked Umbra. He was beginning to wonder if he and Lumis had underestimated their opponents.

Yami gave a small chuckle. "Allow me to explain. When I played my Card Destruction magic card on my turn, I discarded my Beast of Gilfer. By sending that monster to the graveyard, I activated its special effect. It lowers the attack strength of any monster I choose by 500 points."

"And you chose Masked Beast?" asked Lumis, clearly displeased that a dent had been put in his and Umbra's strategy.

"Very perceptive, Lumis," answered the ancient spirit. "Therefore, the Blue Eyes White Dragon was strong enough to defeat it."

Lumis gritted his teeth. "Consider yourself lucky this round."

Umbra's look of annoyance was replaced by smugness. "I commend you on defeating my Masked Beast, Kaiba. However, you will have to do better than that if you want to win against us."

Kaiba's facial expression was one between a scowl and a smirk. _'These men are fools to underestimate my abilities. Well, they will learn the hard way.'_ "You two goons are nauseating." _'I hate to admit it but they're right. If we're gonna win this duel, we cannot show any mercy. Not that it would be difficult. '_

"It's my turn now. " Lumis drew a card. _'Seeing as how that fool Yugi only has those two weak magnet warriors guarding his life points, he is an easy target. However, I have something more ingenious in mind.'_ "I place two cards face down and play a monster in defense mode. It's your turn, Yugi. Remember, my trap cards Masked of the Accursed and Mask of Dispel are still in effect, so you will lose another one thousand life points." _'At this rate, Umbra and I will not need monsters to destroy you.'_

Yami had a grim look on his face as he watched his life points drop to 1500. _'All right. Kaiba and I have started the comeback, but we have to work hard to maintain the streak and be prepared for anything.'_ He also hoped Kaiba would listen to reason and understand the true power of cooperation. _'His hatred for teamwork can be used against us in this duel.'_ "All right. I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in attack mode!" (1400 attk) The gray colored magnet warrior materialized. "Alpha, attack his face down monster now!" Alpha lunged toward the defensive monster and slashed it. The monster was revealed to be Melchid the Four Faced Beast.

Lumis had a nonchalant expression on his face. He knew very well he could have easily blocked the attack with one of his face down cards, but decided that the loss of his defensive monster was not dire. _'After all, what fun would it be to destroy him quickly when I can continue to overwhelm him with the power of my deck?'_

Yami smiled slightly, for he had come up with a possible strategy, one that could win the duel for him as well as stop the depletion of his life points before they reached zero. _'All three of my magnet warriors are on the field, so as long as neither of them are destroyed, they can be combined to form a very powerful monster. I can only hope it would be strong enough to defeat whichever creature the rare hunters summon next.'_

* * *

After awhile, the dull ache in Vicki's hips had subsided to the point where it was almost completely non-existent. Vicki gave a happy sigh as she removed her beret, scratched her head and then placed it back on her head. _'Now to think of a good way to get out of here…have to help the others escape as well. I have a gut feeling they haven't, and things will only get worse from this point on.'_

Vicki looked around for possible exits out of the musky room. Of course, there was obviously the main one, but she knew choosing that way would be out of the question. _'For all I know, those ruffians could be guarding that door.'_ She also considered climbing out the window, but decided that wasn't a very good idea, either. After all, she had to be careful where her condition was concerned.

'_The only possible way is to make an exit…where I could go right outside…but how?'_ There was nothing to break the wall with. The brunette removed the deck of cards from her duel disk. She was slowly getting an idea. _'Hmmm…maybe I can use one of these Duel Monsters cards to help…but which one?'_ She flipped through the cards. There were so many possibilities of monsters she could use that it could take forever to pick one. The next card she came to was Maha Vailo. _'Voila! This is it!'_ The spellcaster's lightning attack was definitely a good way to create an exit. _'Of course I will also be in big trouble for vandalism, but that's the risk I'm gonna have to take if I'm to escape!' _

Vicki set the card on her duel disk in attack mode. The magician monster appeared. She wore a long robe-like navy blue dress and a blue cone shaped hat with gold metal decorations hanging from each end on it. Two of the gold ornaments had red jewels hanging as well.

"Okay, Maha Vailo, do your thing!" belted out Vicki. The spellcaster raised her arms and held open her hands so that both palms were facing each other. Lightning poured into her hands from the sky. She thrust open her hands and launched the lightning at the wall, creating a huge explosion. The young teen waited for the explosion to ensue. Once the smoke cleared, there was an enormous hole in the wall.

'_Yes! It worked!_ _That tattooed faced guy thought he had me…but he couldn't have counted on this!'_ "Good job, Maha Vailo." The female spellcaster nodded, and disappeared. Vicki picked up the rope Odion was going to use to bind her with and quickly ran out of the building. _'Gotta check on the others.'_ She went around to the other side of the warehouse to see where her friends were. She peeked through the glass window on the door. She could see Tèa helping Mokuba climb on some stacked boxes.

'_Oh no, the goons got to the lad Mokuba as well.'_ Vicki clenched her fist and shook it. She had no respect for bullies. _'I have to get those two out of there.' _ She climbed on top of the roof so she was near the open window, not caring about her arthritic hips this time. She stooped on her knees a bit. "Hey! Are you guys all right?"

Tèa looked up to where she heard the voice. She smiled, happy to see her friend. "Yes, we're as fine as we can be under the circumstances. How about you?"

"Not too bad," answered Vicki. She decided not to tell Tèa about how she had been kidnapped as well. Not then, anyway. She threw down the rope in the form of a ladder. "I have come to get you out of there."

"Oh, thanks." The cheerleader made sure Mokuba was sturdy on the boxes—well as sturdy as he could be.

All of a sudden, the door opened and some rare hunters entered the room. One of them laughed. "Make sure these twits don't escape."

"Oh no, those creeps are here!" Tèa helped Mokuba climb some more, until he was on the very top box. He pulled himself up. Unfortunately, the stack of boxes started to wobble again.

"Mokuba, get out of here while you can! Don't worry about me!" Tèa yelled. She was so frantic at the thought of Mokuba being used in whichever way the rare hunters planned.

Mokuba hesitated. "But…are you sure you'll be all right?" _'There is no telling with those jerks will do.' _

"Yes! I'll find a way out of here," answered the young girl. "Now go!"

Although Mokuba had doubts about this because he was worried for the older girl's safety, he cautiously nodded. He grabbed onto the rope Vicki had thrown down for him to climb, and the chocolate haired girl pulled him up. _'I imagine I will have a bad back after this…but it needed to be done.' _Just as she did that, the stack of boxes Tèa was on collapsed, and once again she fell. This time she landed on her back.

'_Oh no! Tèa.'_ Vicki slowly got off the roof and reached out a hand to Mokuba. The younger Kaiba looked a bit surprised, but took her hand as she helped him to stand up.

"Thank you for saving me, Vicki," said Mokuba, slightly out of breath.

Vicki gave the little boy a warm smile. "The pleasure is all mine, lad." One thing she noticed about Mokuba was that he was nothing like his older brother. She was sure he would help with whatever he could, even though she didn't know him very well yet.

"Anyway, we'd better get out of here," said Mokuba. "Those robed creeps could come back." He radioed for a pilot of one of the Kaiba Corp helicopters.

"You're right." Vicki thought about Tèa and Joey and felt a bit guilty about leaving them behind. _'Oh, maybe I am overreacting. I know they can take care of themselves and have what it takes to hold their own if the rare hunters try anything funny.'_ There was something she thought it would be nice to have, that would come in handy during the tournament finals, but she didn't want to walk home and risk getting captured again. "I need a small favor."

"What is it?" asked the young boy.

"Would it be possible for me to stop at my apartment? I need to pick up something."

Mokuba furrowed his brow. "Oh sure. Just give the directions."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." _'I just hope the copter comes soon. I think I can hear those creeps looking for us.'_

* * *

Joey was in one of the rooms, bound to a chair. Not only was he faint with hunger, but his shoulders were also stiff and sore from being tied up with no way of breaking free. He had tried to snap the ropes but to no avail.

'_Man this sucks! I wish I had a knife or something to help me untie these ropes. When I get my hands on those robed freaks, they're gonna be dead meat!'_ Joey wondered how his friends Tèa and Vicki were doing. _'I hope those two were able to escape. Those thugs had better not have laid a finger on them or else they'll be sorry. If only I wasn't confined to this blasted chair!'_ All before this episode happened, he was looking forward to meeting up with Serenity and having her see how far he came in his duels. _'I've got to find a way out of here or else that may never happen.'_

Just then, Odion entered the room to check up on the prisoner. He had just come from checking up on Vicki, only to discover she had escaped, much to his horror. _'I should have bound her like my instincts told me to. Master Marik will be furious.'_ The tattooed face rare hunter held back a shudder at the thought of facing his master's wrath. He hoped the fact that Joey and Tèa were still there would count for something. _'How will I break such news to Master Marik?'_

Joey snarled deep within his throat. _'Just great. Another robed freak.'_

"I trust you have made yourself at home in here," taunted Odion, looking down at the blonde. "It's time to rise and shine."

Joey glared at the older man before him. He was already in a bad mood because of the situation and the last thing he needed was to be face to face with one of the people who was probably behind the scheme._ 'This guy looks like a tough one but I won't let him scare me. He'd better not test me if he knows what's good for him.'_ "What's the deal with all of this, you caped clown?"

Odion studied Joey. He smirked at how feisty the blonde young man seemed in spite of the fear in his eyes. Admittedly, he admired Joey's spunk. "Your impudence will be the end of you. You will know what's in store for you soon enough. For now, I suggest you hold your tongue and do what you're told without question. "

'_Fat chance! This goon isn't scaring anyone.'_ "Listen, you think you guys are so tough, don't you, running around in your dark hoods! Untie me now and I will show you what being a tough guy is all about, you tattooed faced freak of nature! So what's it gonna be? If you let me go now, I promise I'll go easy on you!"

'_That does it. It is time to show this insolent fool the meaning of respect,'_ thought Odion, reaching down towards Joey.

"Hey, keep your grubby paws off me! If you touch me, you'll be sorry!" Joey was about to place out a foot with the intention of kicking the rare hunter in the shin, but all of a sudden, he was partially frozen. "What? What's going on? I can't move!"

"_Now that Joey is under my control, the pharaoh's destruction is inevitable!" _ gloated Marik, emitting some energy from his millennium rod. Joey screamed as he succumbed to its power and felt a sharp pain in his head. It was as if everything was fading into pitch blackness. He glanced up with cold, emotionless eyes and a harsh look on his face.

* * *

Tristan and Serenity were at the station, waiting to board the train. On the entire journey there, it was all Tristan could do not to be remotely flirtatious with Serenity, for he knew Joey would have his head.

'_Man, Joey is no fun at all. Why does he hate the thought of me dating his sister? I mean, she is a great catch and I will do my best to protect her.' _ The pointy haired teen gave a sigh of despair. All he wanted was to prove that he was worthy of having Serenity as a soulmate. All of a sudden, he felt tightness in his chest, one he would usually get when he had the feeling Joey was in some type of danger. _'I wonder what type of mess Joey has gotten himself into this time…I always have to bail him out. Well whatever it is, Serenity and I will be there for you, bud. Until then, sit tight. If Serenity never gets to see you duel, I will never forgive you.'_

At that moment, a train came speeding on the tracks. _'This must be it. We have to get to Joey quickly.'_ The train came to a stop and the automatic doors opened. "Serenity, it's here. Come on, let's go."

"Okay."

Tristan took the young teen girl by the hand and they stepped onto the train. The doors closed, and Tristan led Serenity to an empty seat, helping her to sit down. He took the seat that was facing her. He thought of a good way to make conversation with Serenity. He didn't want to spend the entire journey being in silence, and he hoped he wouldn't say the wrong thing, either. _'No need to be so nervous, man,' _said a voice inside his head. _'Just be yourself.'_

The young man relaxed. "So I bet you are excited to meet up with Joey once again, huh?" he asked.

"Yes I am," answered Serenity in her quiet voice. "I can't wait to see him duel. However, I am also a little bit nervous."

"Oh?" Tristan cocked an eyebrow. "What about?"

"About taking off my bandages, somewhat. I'm afraid the operation didn't work." Serenity felt ridiculous for not having more faith, but she heard a lot of horror stories about medical malpractice.

"Oh, I am sure it did," Tristan reassured the girl cheerfully. "The doctor said the operation was a success, remember?"

Serenity nodded. "I hope they were right. This time around, I really want to be there for Joey, just as he has always been there for me."

"Yes," agreed Tristan. In some ways, the young man was jealous that he didn't have a sibling to care for, so he made up for it by looking out for his friends. "I am sure Joey will give you the strength you need to take your bandages off. And you can be there for him when he begins his duels in the finals."

Serenity looked a bit happier. It felt nice knowing she could give courage to her brother as well. "You're right!"

* * *

Tèa went to see if she could find Joey. She had been glad Mokuba and Vicki were able to escape, but she got to the point where she had enough of the abandoned warehouse. _'And Joey had better be all right, or else there will be hell to pay! Those rare hunters are way out of line.'_

The brunette came to the room Joey was being held captive. Aside from the fact that the blonde was tied to a chair, she let out a sigh of relief when she saw he appeared to be unharmed.

"Joey! Thank goodness you're all right!" she said, running over to him.

Joey didn't respond, or even acknowledge Tèa's presence, which she found strange.

"Earth to Joey! Joey, are you in there?" Tèa waved her arms in front of the blonde's face. He didn't respond to that, either. _'All right, this is weird. Sure, he is known to act as if he is in a daze, but this is much worse than usual. I wonder what's going on.'_ She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Joey, what's wrong with you?! Can't you hear me?"

Joey looked up and sneered at the girl standing over him. _'Impudent little girl.'_ "I'm not Joey you fool!" he answered nastily.

Tèa looked taken aback. Not just by what he said, but also his tone of voice. _'What's wrong with him?'_ "Ha ha, very funny."

Odion entered the room and stood behind Joey. Judging from the look on the man's face, Tèa got the suspicion he was behind her friend's personality change. "What have you done with him?" she demanded to know.

"It is none of your concern," the tattooed face rare hunter answered. "There will be plans for you as well."

Using the power of the millennium rod, Marik telepathically called on his best henchman.

"_What is it, sir?" asked Odion. Something told him that his master was at least mildly displeased with him._

"_Where has the girl called Vicki gone off to?"_

_Odion began to sweat nervously. He was afraid Marik would ask that. He wished there was a way to avoid answering, since he knew he would be in for an earful if he told Marik she escaped and that he hadn't bothered binding her to prevent it, because of her arthritis. Yet he knew he couldn't lie to his master. "I regret having to tell you this, Master Marik, but I am afraid she has escaped. I noticed that one of the walls was also destroyed." _

_There was a slight pause. "YOU FOOL! CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?!"_

_Odion gulped. It was just as he was afraid of. And he didn't even tell his master about how he thought about what Keren would think if she witnessed certain actions of his. "I'm...I'm sorry sir," he stammered. _

"_You will be if you fail me again!" warned Marik. "Now go make yourself useful and win some locator cards!"_

_That was no problem for Odion because he had been participating in duels when he was not carrying out orders or meeting with Marik. He almost had enough locator cards for both himself and Marik to enter the finals. He was sure his master would want to be in the finals just in case all else failed. "Yes Master Marik." He left the room, locking the door. _

Marik gave an evil grin as he used his rod on Tèa as well. "AHHHH! What is happening to me?" the brunette girl screamed as the power overwhelmed her.

* * *

A young teen girl named Mimi wandered around Battle City, looking for another potential opponent to test her skills against. She had just won her second duel and was now the proud owner of 3 locator cards.

"_Whew…I'm on a roll here…maybe I will make it to the finals after all. I just have to keep believing in myself.'_ She began to daydream about the possible prizes for someone who made it to the finals and won. She proceeded to nibble on her fingernails a bit. Soon, she heard footsteps coming in her direction and it was so sudden that she nearly jumped a mile.

Mimi stopped biting her nails and looked up to see who was walking towards her. Much to her horror, it was a rare hunter. She heard lots of things about how rare hunters stole powerful cards and that oftentimes they used force to do so.

'_Oh no...he's coming this way.'_ Her best instincts were telling her to run away and find an opponent elsewhere, but her feet wouldn't move.

Odion stopped about five feet away from Mimi. _'So this girl is a duelist. Interesting.'_ "It is unbecoming of you to appear frightened, young girl. Such an emotion can be a hindrance during a duel."

'_Dang! He thinks I'm scared of him!'_ Slowly but surely, she started to thaw out. Once she did, she looked him over. He certainly did look intimidating, given his height and muscular build. The tattoo on his face sent chills down her spine. And it certainly didn't help that he was a big enough guy to snap her in half like a twig if he ever sat on her. "If you've come to steal my rare cards, you can forget it!"

Odion was beginning to see the reason behind Mimi's timid exterior. He realized this was his chance to show how different he was from his colleagues. "Well there is no need to be alarmed. I do not intend to harm you. I simply wish to participate in an honorable duel with you."

For a moment, Mimi stood there, agape._ 'Duel with him? Is this dude kidding? If his dueling skills are anything like his big buff looks, I'll get my butt kicked.'_ But then she considered the proposition. _'Then again, this could be an opportunity to test how much my skills have truly grown as well as prove that I am not afraid, at least not enough to back down from this challenge.' _"All right. I'll be glad to duel with you. I'll wager 2 locator cards."

"Wise choice. I will wager two locator cards as well."

"It's time to duel!" Both Mimi and Odion took their places on the field and activated their duel disks.

"So before we begin, may I ask a question?" asked Mimi.

"Hmmm? Go on."

"What is your name? Sorry if I seem impolite or nosy, but we haven't been properly introduced."

"You are correct." Odion looked embarrassed. "My name is Odion."

'_Rather unusual name. I hope he wasn't teased too badly about it when he was in school…some are jerky enough to try.' _ "I am pleased to meet you. I'm Mimi."

"All right. Let us begin."

"Yes, and may the best duelist win. If you don't mind being a gentleman, I'd like to go first." Mimi drew her card. It was Ancient Sorcerer. Not what she was hoping to get on the first draw at all. _'Even though its attack power is low, it can prove useful, especially since I don't know what the guy has planned.'_ "I place one card face down and summon Ancient Sorcerer in defense mode!" (1300 def). A magician dressed in a blue vest over a white robe appeared, wielding magic wands in both hands. He also wore a white cap and a mask covering his nose and mouth, so that only his eyes were showing. "Let's see what you can do, big guy."

"I can do quite a bit, given your mediocre opening move." Odion drew a card. _'Hmm…Temple of the Kings…excellent card, but I see no need to use it in this duel.' _ He looked at the other cards in his hand. _'Hmm. I have a feeling Magic Jammer will prove to be quite useful very soon. Until then, I will hold onto it.' _"I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."

'_That's weird. Why didn't he summon a monster strong enough to attack me? Surely it wouldn't be difficult for him to do so.'_ Mimi brushed her bangs over to the side. _'On the other hand, who knows what those face down cards are? I need to get rid of them somehow.' _I play Shadow Tamer in defensive mode!" (700 def) A warrior with long blue hair wearing an off white dress that showed off her legs appeared. The monster was also holding a brown leather whip."Next, I activate my face down magic card, Heavy Storm! Say goodbye to your face down cards!" The cyclone swirled toward the cards on Odion's side of the field, preparing to sweep them away. _'If all goes well, I can get at his life points, seeing that he hasn't summoned a monster.' _

Odion gave a small smirk. "Not quite!"

"What?!" yelped Mimi, stunned. _'What is it with him? It seems like he is many steps ahead of me.'_

"I play my trap card, Magic Jammer! It will cancel the effect of your magic card!" The typhoon dissipated, leaving the set cards untouched.

Mimi groaned. "I should have known." _'I can't believe he just ruined my strategy.' _ "I end my turn. Go."

"As you wish." Odion drew another card. _'Perfect. The ticket to my victory. Little girl, you are finished.' _"I shall place two more cards face down. That ends my turn."

'_Yawn. This duel is so boring. You'd think he would at least have some action.'_ "That's the best you can come up with? Pathetic. You really need to work on coming up with some excitement. If I have to be the one to do that, then so be it." Mimi drew a card. "I switch my Ancient Sorcerer into attack mode!" (1000 attk) "Ancient Sorcerer, attack his life points directly!" The magician held out its magic wands, emitting a spell from them.

"I activate my trap card, Eye of Wdjat!" A purple eye appeared on the forehead of Ancient Sorcerer's cap, hypnotizing him and dragging him to Odion's side of the field.

Mimi covered her mouth in shock. "What is that eye doing to my monster? What is the point of this?"

"My Eye of Wdjat trap card controls your monster for one turn," explained the tattooed face rare hunter.

"Oh no!" Mimi had a bad feeling about what Odion would use her monster for.

"That's right! Ancient Sorcerer, annihilate her Shadow Tamer!" The spellcaster launched its spell at the female warrior, destroying her. Since the creature was in defensive mode, Mimi's life points remained untouched. "I summon Vorse Raider in attack mode!" (1900 attk) "That ends my turn."

'_Finally. A monster. I was wondering if all he has are rare trap cards.'_ "Well, the effects of your trap card are over now, which means Ancient Sorcerer belongs to me again!" The purple colored eye disappeared and the magician returned to Mimi's side. "I switch my Ancient Sorcerer back into defensive mode." _'I know that doesn't seem like much but the best I can do is sit tight and hope for the best.'_

"It appears you are out of options," said Odion.

"Sure. Rub it in," the young girl spat. _'However, he does have a point. I am out of ideas. He is way too many steps ahead and with those other face down cards there is no way I'm going to risk another attack now.'_ "Go ahead and give it your best shot, Odion."

"I intend to." Odion drew a card. _'Hmm…Trap Jammer…I may need this card.'_ "As a matter of fact, you have activated the remainder of my face down cards when you targeted my life points."

"Say what?! Not another one!" The girl wondered if Odion was just bluffing in order to scare her.

"I activate my face down cards that are known as trap monsters. Say hello to Embodiments of Apophis!" (1600 attk x3)A huge billow of a purple smoke like substance swirled around to form three large cobras. These cobras were black on the surface and their stomachs were purple. They were also holding swords, indicating they were semi-warriors. "Fortunately for you I must end my turn. You are staring into the face of defeat, Mimi! Use your last turn well."

"Whatever." It was all she could do not to spew chunks all over her shoes. _'Man, those snakes are so disgusting. And there are three of them!' _ Mimi drew a card. It was Gravity Bind. _'Hmm, let's see here. This card is not bad at all. This can help me buy some time while I figure out a way to get rid of those nasty snakes. He thinks he has got me cornered, but he is in for a surprise.'_ "I lay one card face down and that's it." _'Come and get me if you dare,'_ thought Mimi, smirking.

Odion ignored the smirk on the girl's face. As far as he was concerned, she was just a beginner so she couldn't possibly have anything sneaky planned. "You have played well. However, you are still no match for me."

Mimi was becoming tired of her opponent's gloating."Bring it on!"

"I'll do so with great pleasure!" Odion drew his card. "Vorse Raider, attack her Ancient Sorcerer!" The beast warrior raised its blades, prepared to chop the spellcaster into pieces.

Mimi smiled. "Nice try."

Odion arched an eyebrow. "What?!"

"I activate my trap card, Gravity Bind! Now the attacks from your monsters that are level four and above are useless!" Some distortion waves were emitted from the card, preparing to stop the attack of Vorse Raider.

"Clever move. Unfortunately, it is not good enough!" said Odion.

"What?" gasped the raven haired girl. She was afraid to see what he had planned to counter her trap.

"I activate my Trap Jammer card!"

Mimi looked on helplessly as she watched her last hope get destroyed. _'Oh no, I'm finished.'_

"Now, Vorse Raider, continue your attack!" The monster lunged towards the sorcerer, slicing it with the blades.

Mimi cringed in fear. "Yikes, all my defenses are gone!" _'So much for hoping I would be able to take down those creepy things.'_

"You know what that means," said Odion. "Apophis, triple attack on her life points!" The snake swordsmen slithered towards the young girl.

Mimi started to shake so much she had to smack herself to keep from dropping her cards. _'Snap out of it. Who says you even have to look?' _ She closed her eyes. _'Oh dear me please let this be over soon.' _ The serpents slashed her in the shoulder. She let out a cry of pain, and her life points dropped to zero.

The young girl slowly opened her eyes, now that the ordeal was over. She rubbed her sore shoulder and glanced at her opponent's facial expression. She expected to see him smiling, for he had achieved a relatively simple victory. She was surprised to see him wearing a rather serious expression. _'I did my best, so I am not too disappointed.'_ She slowly approached him. "Well Odion, you were right."

The older man looked up at Mimi, a shocked expression at what she just said. "I do have a long way to go when it comes to dueling. You defeated me fair and square. In the process you have also taught me a few things. I am sincerely honored to have had you as an opponent."

"Likewise, Mimi." Odion had to admit, he enjoyed the duel as well, even though she was not much of a challenge for him. She had taken her defeat with more stride than his previous opponents did and actually had potential. "I am sure that with more experience, you will become a skilled duelist."

Mimi was quite impressed with how humble Odion seemed to be. _'I think I misjudged him.' _"Thank you so much. That means a lot." She reached into her dueling deck and pulled out two locator cards, handing them to him. "I'm sorry I don't have a rare card powerful enough for you."

"It's not a problem." Odion placed the two locator cards with the other ten he had previously won. He left to make his way back to the rare hunters' hideout. _'Master Marik will be very pleased to know I have succeeded in securing enough locator cards for both of us to participate in the finals.' _


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

* * *

The newly brainwashed Joey and Tèa were at the rare hunters' hideout. They faced each other with blank expressions on their faces, almost as if they had been hypnotized.

Marik looked up from where he was sitting down preparing Joey's deck, and formed an evil grin on his face when he saw the teens' unfeeling expressions and their eyes filled with hatred. _'Excellent. My spell seems to have taken effect. I expect that little Yugi and Kaiba will be arriving shortly. The thought of Tèa and Joey becoming Yugi's worst enemies must hurt him very much. Well, too bad for him, he will not be able to stop me once he does arrive.'_ He chuckled softly to himself as he went back to preparing the deck.

'_Gah, this is so boring,'_ thought Tèa, tapping her feet. She gave a heavy sigh. Her feet were becoming tired. _'I hate standing in this position…at this rate my neck is going to break.'_

'_Is this dude trying to put us to sleep or something?'_ Brainwashed Joey wanted nothing more than to take Yugi apart.

Marik finally finished building the deck. He held it with satisfaction. _'These cards will give Joey's weak deck a powerful boost. The pharaoh won't stand a chance.'_ He stood up and walked over to the teens. "Come, it is time to execute our scheme. Follow me."

'_Finally,'_ thought Tèa. Without as much of a word, she and Joey followed the cornsilk haired teen as he led them to the pier.

Marik smirked at the silence between the two young teens, which he found pleasing in an unsettling kind of way. _'This makes my job easier, for they may try to resist me, and I cannot have that.'_ "You two seem so quiet, almost as if you have no minds of your own," he mocked. "I am glad you have realized that your minds belong to me!" He gave an evil laugh. _'I hope Odion doesn't take all day.'_

While walking to the pier, Marik spotted Odion walking towards him. He appeared to be holding something in his hand. Marik slowed down a bit to see what his lead henchman had to tell him.

Odion approached his master and crouched down on his knees, fearing Marik's patience was thin with him. "Master Marik, here are the locator cards you have requested," he said, holding out the clear colored cards he had been holding.

Marik took the cards from Odion and counted them. Twelve locator cards. He smiled at how his henchman was able to accomplish this task with little to no trouble. He gave six of the clear cards back to Odion. "Excellent work. I am hoping this scheme will work and it would not be necessary to enter the finals. However, as you know, it never hurts to have a back-up plan."

"That's right, sir." Odion got back to his feet.

"You have arrived just in time to put the plan into motion," said Marik, his lips stretching into a small grin.

Odion looked relieved to hear that. He expected to endure a scolding from his superior. There was a feeling of guilt nagging at him for becoming involved with such a nefarious scheme, but he shrugged it off. _'I cannot turn back now.'_

"Give Joey the deck that was prepared for him," ordered Marik, handing Odion the deck he had just built.

Odion took a quick peek at the cards and handed them to a dazed Joey. "Boosting the power of his deck with the extremely rare magic cards is an excellent idea, Master Marik," he said.

"Yes and with those cards, Joey's victory is guaranteed." The Egyptian turned to Joey. "Go on, my mind slave. Wait for that fool Yugi to show up so you can lure him out."

"Yes Master." The blonde continued his way to the pier.

* * *

Keren and Ishizu had left the museum and were now at a small quiet Arabic café. All of a sudden Ishizu felt tightness in her chest as well as a touch of queasiness in her stomach. _'Oh no, Marik has become more ruthless than before.'_

Keren glanced up from the falafels she had been eating and noticed the look of discomfort etched on Ishizu's face. "Ishizu? What is wrong? Are you unwell?" She hoped it wasn't the food, since she heard good things about the café.

"Oh no, not at all. My necklace tells me that great danger lies ahead for the pharaoh. It seems Marik has decided to involve his friends in his evil scheme and turn them against him."

Keren's face turned pale. "Oh dear me…" She sighed and pushed aside her plate of falafel, for the news had made her lose her appetite. She placed her chin in her hands, allowing her dark hair to fall over her elbows. She knew she and Ishizu had plans set in motion but she didn't think they could wait. "What shall we do? We cannot allow this to keep going on, and by the time the tournament begins, the damage may be irreversible."

Ishizu could see this whole ordeal was taking a toll on the Israeli, with the fact that she barely smiled anymore. "I understand your frustration. However, we must have faith that the pharaoh will be able to set his friends free, and put an end to Marik's plan."

"I am sure that he will." A lump formed in Keren's throat at the thought of Marik succeeding in his quest. _'Please overcome this trial, my king.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaiba was finally approaching the dock of the pier. This bode well for Vicki, as she had thoughts about moving near the pilot, since being in the small chopper was making her feel claustrophobic. Plus, she didn't feel at ease around the CEO.

Just as the pilot was preparing to land the copter, Mokuba and Yami spotted someone standing in the midst of the dock, appearing as if he were waiting for someone. "Hey, it's Joey!" Mokuba cried out. "He looks like he is in a daze. I hope Marik hasn't gotten to him."

'_Mokuba is right. Joey does look a bit out of it,'_ thought Vicki. _'I wonder where Tèa is. Those hooligans had better not have laid a finger on her or else there will be hell to pay!'_

"Joey...I hope he is all right," the ancient spirit mumbled. He hoped in his heart of hearts Marik hadn't gotten to the blonde already. Something told him he would have to be prepared to give Kaiba an answer to his question sooner than he had anticipated.

The pilot landed the helicopter, making sure it was a safe distance away from Joey. Everyone climbed out. Yami broke into a sprint and rushed over to the blonde. "Joey…thank goodness you're all right!"

'_That voice…the pharaoh has arrived.'_ The possessed Joey glanced up at his friend with a look of disdain on his face. _'Such a naïve fool. If he only knew.'_ "The Joey you knew is gone forever!" he responded nastily.

"Gah, that electronic sounding voice makes my skin crawl," remarked Vicki. She wondered if she should have brought some ear drops with her.

Yami looked stunned at the change in his best friend's tone. The terrible realization hit him that Marik had succeeded. _'I have arrived too late.'_ He grabbed his friend by the shoulder and shook him. "Wake up! You are not yourself!"

The possessed blonde glared at Yami. "I am perfectly awake and I see a weakling who will soon be destroyed!"

"Marik," the ancient spirit stated, with a hint of anger in his voice.

"That's right! I have taken over your pathetic friend's mind!" said the possessed Joey, laughing.

"Release Joey from your control right now!" demanded the ancient pharaoh.

"Or else what? You are in no position to make demands," said Marik controlled Joey.

Yami growled. He was becoming sick of his foe's games. "Marik! I'm warning you, don't test me!"

Marik smirked. It tickled him to know he was provoking his greatest foe and causing him the same pain he believed the pharaoh had caused him. "To show you what a kind person I am, I will give you a chance to save your pathetic friends. You must face me in a duel."

Kaiba nearly burst into laughter at such a challenge. He didn't believe Joey had improved all that much, even though he had made it farther than he thought. _'Under normal circumstances, this would be a waste of my time to watch a one-sided duel, but if Wheeler is on the rare hunters' side, he may have been given the Winged Dragon of Ra card. Maybe I should stick around.'_

"And if I win, will you set my friends free?" asked Yami, desperately trying to keep his temper.

Marik controlled Joey smiled. "Perhaps. However, we will be playing by my rules. This will be a duel to the death, which is quite fitting since I plan to dispose of you if I win! You cannot possibly defeat me now!"

Considering most of the duels Yami participated in during the tournament, he had an idea of what playing by Marik's rules meant, and he was afraid to ask. He knew it would involve something grotesque. "Marik!" he warned, his voice rising on the last syllable. "Enough of your twisted games! Why don't you show some honor for once?!"

"Ha! If you truly want to save face, you will have to do as I say!" declared a menacing female's voice.

Yami spun around sharply, only to see Tèa climbing down the steps. He clenched his teeth in his anger at the fact that Joey wasn't enough for Marik to control and had to involve the brunette as well. "Oh no! Tèa!"

Vicki's hands flew to her mouth in shock. "Not Tèa too!" Her face turned as red as a tomato. _'This Marik person is lucky he isn't face to face with me, Right now I just want to ring his neck!'_ Little did she know, Marik was the same person who made her feel star struck when he introduced himself as Namu, back when he rescued Bakura.

"That's right! Like your friend Joey, Tèa, too, is under my control!" Marik controlled Tèa gave an evil cackle. "Are you feeling the pain I have felt for the past six years?"

The spirit of the ancient pharaoh still didn't know what the Egyptian was talking about, and wished he would tell him so they could talk things out instead of the corn-silk haired young man spouting such unspeakable accusations. But now there were bigger problems to worry about than that. "Marik, leave her alone now! She has done nothing to you!"

_Marik ignored the outburst and chuckled once more. It pleased him that he hit his enemy's sore spot."This is quite a fitting punishment for you!" He stood with his arms folded._

"You're at my mercy," taunted brainwashed Tèa. She picked up two ankle chains and handed one to Yami and the other to the brainwashed Joey. "Try this on for size."

Joey placed the chain around his ankle. Yami had his doubts, but he placed the chain around his ankle as well. Tèa sat in a chair in the center of the pier and automatic cuffs appeared around her wrists and feet, to keep her from escaping on her own. There was also a rare hunter with long bluish green hair sitting in a truck, holding a remote control and keeping watch.

"What is the meaning of this, Marik?" Yami asked. He didn't like where this was headed at all.

Possessed Joey smirked. "Remember, I said this duel will be played by my rules. See that anchor up there?" The blonde pointed above him.

Yami looked at what his brainwashed friend was talking about. Near the large ships, he could see a large mahogany colored ship anchor. "Yes, what of it?" It was becoming hard for the ancient spirit of the puzzle to keep his temper.

"Well this duel will last for forty minutes. Only the winner of the duel will be able to free himself from the chain. Once the duel concludes, the anchor will drop and the loser will be dragged into the sea, and will drown! In this case that is you!"

"You're insane!" Yami told his enemy.

Possessed Joey laughed. "Your anger amuses me. If by some miracle you defeat me, you will have to fish your pathetic friend out of the sea!"

Yami clenched his fists. It pained him that his friends' personalities had changed so drastically, but he knew they were not like that at all. _'There is still a chance I can reach Joey, albeit a small one.'_ "Joey, you must free your mind! Remember our promise! You vowed to help me defeat Marik and face me in an honorable duel when you feel you have become a True Duelist." If that wasn't enough to free his best friend from the evil force, he didn't know what was.

Marik controlled Joey laughed huffily. "No matter what you say, you will never set your friend free from my control! That promise is ancient history! If you want to set him free, accept my challenge!"

As much as Yami didn't want to accept the challenge because of how twisted and dangerous the setting was, he didn't see where he had any choice in the matter. _'This could be the only way I can get through to Joey. I will duel him with all of my strength.'_ "All right Marik. You win. I accept your challenge."

"So you have decided to see things my way," commented mind controlled Joey. "Wise choice."

"Oh, and there is one thing you should know about the final part of my plot!" said Marik controlled Tèa. "If you attempt to stop this duel, the crate you see hanging above my head will fall!"

Mokuba had been seething the entire time he had been listening to Marik's threats and was now at his breaking point. "That's enough! Seto, we have to stop this duel before someone gets hurt! Not to mention they may decide to try something like this on us next!"

Vicki held back a snort of laughter. _'An evil Kaiba? That would be scary.'_ It was the closest she came to laughing the entire time she had been at the scene. She had felt like letting out tears of anger and strangling Marik for causing all this trouble.

'_As if I would allow that to happen. I will not be controlled.'_ This was one duel Kaiba had no qualms cancelling. He knew full well that harm could befall his one worthy opponent, robbing him of a chance to face him in a duel and he could not have that. _'I have to admit, it was rather amusing seeing Wheeler behave like a mean dog, but that is beside the point here. His little threats don't scare me!'_ He cleared his throat. "As head of the Battle City tournament, I command you to stop this duel at once!"

"Ha! Nice try, but this duel will happen whether you like it or not!" called the rare hunter, peeking his head out his truck window. "Try to stop it again and that girl will be sorry!"

Kaiba growled in frustration. Not that he was overly fond of Tèa, but he felt the rare hunter was crossing the line. _'How dare he tarnish my tournament? I won't let him get away with it!'_

* * *

Tristan and Serenity had finally arrived at Domino City, and were now passing a park Joey and his sister often played at when they were little children, before their parents' divorce.

"You know something Tristan? I can picture this place clearly even though I still have the eye bandages on," said Serenity.

"Oh yeah?" The pointy-haired teen wondered if her faith that the operation was successful had been rebuilt.

"Yes! My brother and I used to come here all the time when we were little."

"Awesome." Tristan smacked his forehead. "Oh, silly me! I forgot to ask Tèa and Joey where to meet them. That means we could end up all over the city looking for them."

"Oh, I'm sure we will find everyone, eventually," said Serenity. "You have a number for them, don't you?"

"Yes I do." Tristan felt like an idiot for not thinking of that before. Here Serenity was indirectly telling him to use his head. He spotted a payphone nearby. "Listen, I'm gonna go and give Tèa a call. You wait right here."

"Okay."

Tristan ran over to the payphone, placed a coin in the slot and dialed Tèa's cell number. He let it ring several times, but her voicemail came on. He hung up and looked down at his feet. "That's weird…I wonder what she's doing..."

* * *

(at the pier)

Vicki tapped her foot impatiently. _'If Marik wants to duel so badly, why is he taking so long to start the duel?'_

'_I have a feeling this will be a waste of my time. I have to find some way to stop this pathetic excuse of a duel,' _thought Kaiba, just as impatient as Vicki was.

"Let's begin this duel," said Yami. He just wanted to get it over with so he could move on.

"I thought you would never say that," said the blonde, smirking. He and Yami activated their duel disks and the timer started.

"By the way, if you were thinking about using your Egyptian God card to defeat me, think again! Remove it from your deck, now! When I win this duel, I will claim it for myself!" said brainwashed Joey.

"Fine." Yami took out his dueling belt. "My special cards are in here." _'I had no intention of using the Egyptian God card anyway. It is far too dangerous. Although Marik is in control, it is still Joey's body and the effects of Slifer could seriously injure him.'_ The spirit took a look at the other card that was inside the pocket of the belt. _'Oh, it's Red Eyes Black Dragon! I can certainly use this to save Joey. It is the least I can do to repay him for lending it to me.'_ He removed the Red Eyes card, placed it in his deck and dropped the dueling belt onto the floor.

"It's time to duel!" both gentlemen said.

"I hope you're prepared for defeat!" taunted possessed Tèa. With that, Marik released his control on her mind. "What happened?" Tèa wriggled her hands. "Why am I strapped in this chair?" She looked around, and was shocked when she saw Yami and Joey about to duel each other._ 'Strange…something is not right here.'_ It seemed like something that would occur in one of her nightmares, but this time she knew it was sadly no dream."Why are Yugi and Joey dueling each other? Someone tell me what on earth is going on!"

Mokuba opened his mouth to explain, but Vicki beat him to it. "Marik has brainwashed Joey and forced him into a duel with high stakes...so high you wouldn't believe it if I told you about them. And he had you under his influence for awhile as well."

"Oh no..." The news gave Tèa a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. And to think for a moment that she was a part of the madness made the feeling worse. She didn't think she wanted to know what she had said and done. _'I have a feeling things will only get worse from this point on.'_ She heaved a heavy sigh. "This cannot continue! The duel must be stopped!"

Kaiba's clenched fists trembled as if he were struggling to make a decision. He couldn't allow his tournament to be dishonored, but he wasn't willing to risk anyone dying either.

"Don't even think about it!" warned the rare hunter. "One false move and I will push this button!"

"Jerk!" muttered the brunette. "Listen, don't worry about me! Just end this duel!"

'_Perhaps there's a way to dispose of the trap,'_ Kaiba thought. _'But how?'_

"Are you buffoons finished?!" mind controlled Joey exploded, exasperated. He fixed his gaze on Yami. "I will let you go first. You will need it and enough time has been wasted."

Yami took a look at the clock and saw that nearly ten minutes had passed already.' _He's right.'_ "Don't mind if I do." He drew his card. _'Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts…I should put up a defense for now, until I see his strategy.'_ "I place one card face down and then play Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode!" (1200 def) The lion-like creature appeared on the field, growling. "That ends my turn."

Possessed Joey laughed. "How pathetic. Well, your mythical beast won't be enough to guard your life points! I play my trap card, Raigenki Break! It allows me to destroy any monster I choose! Say goodbye to your defense monster!" Lightning rained down on the creature, destroying it.

Yami looked on grimly. "Oh no! Now my defense is gone."

"That's right," sneered mind controlled Joey. "Now I play Alligator's Sword in attack mode!" (1500 attk) The alligator warrior appeared onto the field, raising its sword. "Alligator's Sword, attack his life points directly!" The reptilian beast slashed Yami, causing him to grimace. He was down to 2500 life points as a result.

Mind controlled Joey laughed. "Are you ready to give up, or do you want more punishment?"

"I will never give up!" Yami drew another card. It was Big Shield Gardna. _'I should be able to use this to protect my life points. After all, nearly half of my life points are gone. It seems as if Marik rebuilt Joey's deck, so I could be in for another surprise.'_ "I play Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!" (2600 def) "That ends my turn."

"It seems like you have lost your touch!" taunted the blonde. "Could you be trying to lose this duel on purpose? Well if that's what you want, I'll be glad to help you! All of your attempts to guard your life points are useless!"

Yami grunted. "Just what do you mean?" He was growing weary of the taunting.

"I'll show you, with a card that will allow me to target your life points even with a monster on your side of the field. Feel the wrath of my Hinotama magic card!" said the blonde, setting the card down. A barrage of fireballs rained down and blasted Yami. He screamed as he watched five hundred of his life points deplete. This attack left the ancient pharaoh with 2000 life points.

Kaiba was absolutely dumbfounded by what he saw. Joey taking a bite out of his archrival's life points this soon? That didn't sound like the Joey he knew.

Mokuba noticed his brother's expression. "What's on your mind, Seto? Why are you so pensive?"

"I have a feeling Wheeler is being helped by a card that is illegal," answered the teen ceo.

Mokuba whistled. "That's Marik for ya. I wish I could bust him but I can't…too risky."

'_Come on, Yugi. You can pull through,'_ thought Vicki, rubbing her hands together. She hoped he would, too. She could barely stand to see him and Joey pitted against each other. But she would not allow herself to shed a tear.

The ancient spirit of the puzzle looked grim. _'This duel has already started and half of my life points are already wiped out. I have to find a way to stop this_ _if I am to set Joey free.'_ He knew it would be quite difficult, given the power of his opponent's deck. He also found it strange Marik seemed to be urging Joey to finish him off quickly. The cornsilk hared young man usually enjoyed toying with his opponents. _'I can't remain on the defensive if I have any hopes of winning this duel.'_

* * *

Marik was monitoring the duel via Joey's eyes, with the help of his millennium rod. He smiled at how things were going well for him thus far. "Crushing little Yugi and the pharaoh was a simpler task than I thought! No longer will I have to endure the suffering brought on by that accursed 3000 year old pharaoh!" He gave an evil laugh. _'Failure will not be tolerated this time!'_

Just then, Odion came and bowed deeply. "Excuse me, Master Marik."

Marik turned to face his most faithful servant. "What is it, Odion?"

"I just learned that Joey's sister has arrived in Battle City."

'_Interesting.´_ A wicked grin formed on the tombkeeper's face. "Did you say his sister? His sister could prove to be quite a useful pawn. Have a rare hunter bring her to me at once."

"Yes sir." Odion went to give the message to the rare hunters. He felt reluctant doing this, but dared not disobey his master.

Seeing that Tristan was unable to contact Tèa, he decided to just find some people around the city who had six locator cards. _'I am sure they would be all over the place.'_ He took Serenity by the hand and led her away from the park.

"Tristan? You think Joey is okay?" she asked worriedly.

The gut feeling that Joey was in danger had grown even stronger, but Tristan didn't want to worry the young girl too much. "Oh, I'm sure he is!" he answered casually, placing his hand on the back of his head. "Your brother is a tough customer."

"I suppose..." Serenity wasn't too sure about that, but the thing was, neither of them knew what was going on with Joey at the moment.

Tristan and Serenity came to a dark alley. Tristan could see some tough looking robed men blocking the way. _'Bah, not those creeps! If they think they're gonna stop us, they've got another thing coming.'_ He led Serenity the opposite direction, in an attempt to hide, but the men saw them. _'Oh, darn it!'_ What was more horrifying was that the robed men were walking towards them, and had expressions on their faces he didn't trust at all.

"Who do you think you're looking at like that, you robed freaks?" asked the pointy haired teen.

The gray haired rare hunter smirked. "You two twerps are not going anywhere! Hand over the girl and you won't get hurt!"

"I don't think so!" _'I will never allow any harm to come to her!'_

Although Serenity could not see, she could tell something was wrong based on the voices and the exchange going on. "Tristan, I'm scared!"

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you!" He swept her off the ground and held her by her knees, pulling her onto his back. "Now hold on tight!"

"Okay!" She threw her arms around his neck and held on, tight enough so she was secure, but not so tight that she was choking him. Tristan ran out of the alleyway.

"After them!" one of the robed men barked.

* * *

Yami eyed the cards in his hand, pondering what strategy to use to put a dent in his opponent's life points. _'I think I have come up with an idea, but I will need to draw the right card.'_

"What's taking so long for you to make your move, Pharaoh?" asked mind controlled Joey. "Have you realized you don't stand a chance against me?"

"I will never surrender to you, Marik!"

"Then if I were you, I would make my move and stop stalling," said the blonde.

"All right!" Yami drew a card. It was Kuriboh. _'Too weak to take down his Alligator's Sword, but with my face down card it can still help.'_ "I'll lay one more card face down and summon Kuriboh in attack mode!" (300 attk) A brown ball of fluff with eyes and claws appeared. "That ends my turn."

Marik controlled Joey laughed. "You must have given up if you will play such a miniscule monster in attack mode! I expect more from you, but I guess I overestimated your abilities. " He drew a card. _'Excellent. Another Hinotama magic card. By the end of my turn, most of Pharaoh's life points will have been wiped out.'_ "Alligator's Sword, annihilate that furball!" The reptilian warrior raised its sword, preparing to attack.

Yami's lips stretched into a tiny smile. "Hold it right there!"

Possessed Joey's jaw dropped in shock. "What?!"

"You've activated my trap card, Spellbinding Circle!" The hexagram shaped circle appeared around the alligator warrior, stopping him in his tracks.

"NO!" The blonde shook his fists.

"That's right! Not only has my trap stopped your Alligator's Sword in his tracks, but 700 of his attack points have been drained as well." The monster's attack strength was down to 800 as a result.

"Well well. It looks like Yugi weakened Wheeler's monster, but he still has yet to find a monster strong enough to defeat it," observed Kaiba. _'Yugi, if you lose to this mediocre duelist, I will never forgive you.'_

"Very impressive, Pharaoh," the possessed blonde said. "However, you still can't defeat my monster."

Yami gave an amused look at Marik's overconfidence. "Who said I was finished?" he asked.

"You're not?"

"No, I have other surprises. I activate my magic card, Monster Reborn! I'll use it to resurrect Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts. This time, I will place him in attack mode!" Gazelle reappeared onto the field, roaring and baring its claws. "All right my gazelle, destroy his Alligator's Sword now!" The lion-like creature swiped at the reptilian creature with its claw, destroying it. "Now Kuriboh, attack his life points directly!" The furball pounced on possessed Joey. "The combined attacks create a difference of 1000 life points."

"Good dueling for a change. However, that won't last long. It's my turn now. You will feel the wrath of my Hinotama magic card once again! Fire shower attack!" For a second time, fireballs rained down on Yami. The spirit screamed in agony and hunched over as he felt the burning sensation. His life points dropped down to 1500.

Marik controlled Joey let loose maniacal laughter. _"You are only life points away from your inevitable death, Pharaoh!"_


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

* * *

Yami glanced at the cards in his hand, trying to find a way out of his predicament. _'Things are dire, to say the least. More than half of my life points are gone and Joey has twice as much. I cannot afford another direct attack like that.'_ He didn't find any of the current cards in his hand worth playing at the moment. He caught a glimpse of the clock and saw that there was only 25 minutes left.

"Staring at your deck won't help, Pharaoh! You are only delaying the inevitable! Play whatever you like, but it will never match the power of my arsenal of rare magic cards!" taunted brainwashed Joey, laughing. "If I were you, I would accept defeat!"

Yami merely grunted at the threats and insults that were driving him up a wall. He knew it was really Marik speaking, not Joey. _'I have to focus on saving Joey before the timer reaches zero. I can't let Marik rattle me. That's exactly what he wants. And I don't have much time left.' _"Joey…it pains me to see you have forgotten your convictions as a duelist."

The possessed blonde gave Yami a hard look. "What are you talking about?" _'I have a duel to win. I have no time for useless babbling.'_

"You wished to become a true duelist and right now you do not have the heart of one," said the spirit.

"Stop talking nonsense and just make your move!" snapped Marik/Joey. "You're wasting my time."

Yami gritted his teeth. Not only because he was becoming annoyed, but also because as much as he hated to admit it, his foe was right. _'If only there was some way I could get rid of the traps.'_

* * *

Marik stood on his massive ship at the pier, pleased with how his mindslave was performing thus far. He felt proud of himself for making such a nefarious scheme and wondered why he didn't do it sooner. "You will never free your pathetic friend from my control, Pharaoh! You're a fool to try! Now, my mind puppet, continue to devastate your former best friend with your deck so he will be silenced forever!"

(back to duel)

The possessed blonde laughed again. "Pharaoh, you can forget your foolish delusion of freeing your best friend from my mind control! I told you, his mind belongs to me forever!"

"I don't think so," said Yami. "Your millennium rod is not as powerful as you think. Together, we can overcome your evil!"

"Your threats are empty, but if you are so sure of yourself, make your pathetic move so I can finish you off!"

It was so hard for Tèa to hear Joey sounding so antagonistic. _'Kaiba needs to find some way to stop this duel. I don't know how much more of this I can take.'_ "Joey, snap out of it! Remember our bond of friendship? Don't let Marik destroy it! Use that memory to break free!"

_*Flashback begins*_

_While Yugi was preparing to face Kaiba in a duel that would teach the young CEO about dueling with his heart, Tèa pulled out a marker. "Yugi, Joey and Tristan, come here."_

_The three boys went over to the brunette. "What's up, Tèa?" asked Joey. _

_Tèa pulled off the top of the marker and drew something on her left hand. "Now I want all of you to place your hands forward. I'm going to mark it with a special symbol. "_

"_Okay…" Joey and his two best friends did as they were told, wondering what the girl had in mind. _

'_I hope she hurries. Kaiba doesn't like to be kept waiting,'_ _thought Yugi. _

_Tèa quickly drew on the hands of her friends. Once she was done, they pulled their hands away and took a look at them. _

"_What is it exactly?" asked Joey, eyeing the unusual looking smiley face. _

"_It's a symbol of our friendship," the cheerleader explained. "The ink may fade, but this is to show the bond between us never will."_

"_Oh, I get it now!" said Joey, giving a cheesy grin. "I like that!"_

_*Flashback ends*_

Vicki knew of the bond of friendship, and a misty-look appeared in her eyes, knowing she missed out on so many adventures. _'Oh man, I wish I was here back then. Oh well. Better late than never, I suppose.'_

'_Tea is right. And I have an idea.'_ The millennium puzzle glowed and a silhouette of Yugi appeared next to Yami. Yami turned to face his weaker counterpart._ "Yugi! What are you doing?" He didn't have a good feeling about whatever it was Yugi had planned. _

"_Yami, I had been thinking about this for awhile and I think it would be best if I took over in this duel," replied the spiky-haired young teen. _

_Yami looked at his friend in shock. "But why?"_

_Yugi hesitated, unsure of how to explain the reasons to his alter-ego without risking hurting his feelings. "Well you see, I think I stand a better chance getting through to Joey. Also, when I first solved the millennium puzzle, I asked for friends, and my wish came true. I want to show how strong I have become since then without relying on you."_

_Sure enough, the ancient spirit looked slightly hurt. "What are you saying, Yugi?" _

"_I know one day you will be gone forever, and I will have to fend for myself."_

"_I understand how important this is to you. However, I can't let you do this. It is far too dangerous."_

_The young boy couldn't believe how hard it was to convince Yami to let him duel on his own. "Yes, I am aware of that, but I have faced danger before."_

_Yami definitely knew that, but felt the situation was different. "You do remember that the stakes in this duel are high, right?"_

_Yugi look scared at the thought of death by drowning. "Oh yes I do know. I cannot allow it to happen. This is not just something I want to do. This is something I feel I have to do." 'No matter how great the danger, I am willing to take such a risk to save my friends.'_

_Yami looked thoughtful, and could see the determined expression on his friend's face. 'There is no use convincing him otherwise.' "Very well. If you feel that strongly, then go rescue your best friend, and know I will be watching over you just in case your life is in danger."_

"_Thank you so much for understanding, Yami. It means a lot to me."_ Yami disappeared and let Yugi take over.

"Well, Joey, it is just you and me now," said the spiky-haired young man.

'_The regular Yugi must have taken over,'_ thought Tèa, noting the difference in height. _'I hope he could save Joey.'_

* * *

Marik leaned over the railing on his ship. When he realized what had happened, his evil grin disappeared and he clenched his teeth, tightly grasping his millennium rod.

"What?! The pharaoh's vessel?!" yelped the Egyptian. "Defeating _him _is not a part of my agenda! How dare that little runt interfere with my plan! He'll pay!" He was so angry he wished he had a glass of ice cubes so he could smash it on the floor. He took a few heavy breaths until he felt calm again. A smirk appeared on his face as he thought of a way to make good of the situation.

"But then again…I can always use the vessel to force the pharaoh to reappear," realized the cornsilk haired young man, laughing. _'Which would be simple, given that Little Yugi is an even weaker duelist than the pharaoh is.' _

Meanwhile, Tristan was running through the alley with Serenity on his back, desperately trying to escape the rare hunters. His feet were getting sore and he was out of breath. Even worse, the robed men were hot on his heel, yelling insults and threats at him and the girl.

Soon, Tristan was feeling too tired to continue running. _'Ah, gotta take a little break. I can only hope those robed creeps don't get us. '_ He took Serenity off his back and rested her down, huffing and puffing.

"Dumb move, kid! I warned you, you couldn't run forever," taunted one of the robed men. "Not like there is anywhere left for you to run, anyway."

Tristan growled. "You wanna bet?" He stood in a fight stance.

"Yes we do," said a deep, gruff sounding voice.

The pointy haired young man turned around sharply, to see another rare hunter with short grey hair approaching him and Serenity. _'Oh crap! How am I gonna get past these thugs?'_ "You thugs had better back off if you know what's good for you!" warned the young man, cracking his knuckles._ 'If I have to, I'll give you a pounding.'_

Serenity was tempted to take her bandages off to see what was going on, but she decided not to. "Tristan, be careful," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The robed men walked up to Tristan and Serenity, smirking. "You're just all talk. Well, you two twerps are about to enter a world of hurt!" Two of the men grabbed Serenity by her wrists.

The frightened girl tried to get the men to release her, but to no avail. Her wrists started to ache from their vice-like grip. "Let go of me!"

The men just laughed at her. "Stop squirming, girl! It's hopeless. You're taking a trip with us!"

"Tristan, help!" screamed the young girl. _'These guys are so scary.'_

Tristan took one look over his shoulder and went to fight off the rare hunters holding Serenity, only to be punched in the face by a bald headed robed man. Tristan fell over, groaning in pain and rubbing his face. He got up and kicked the rare hunter in the stomach.

The gray haired robed man was about to drag Serenity away when all of a sudden, he felt a die hitting him on the forehead and a male's voice saying, "And there's more where that came from, tough guy! Didn't your mother teach you not to be rough with girls?" Standing there was a young man dressed in a red and black vest over a black shirt, and leather pants. He wore a dangly dice earring and his long black hair was pulled into a ponytail.

The rare hunter rubbed his forehead. "Why you…." He looked around to see who did that.

'_That dice…that voice…_' Tristan diverted his attention to the end of the corridor. Although he couldn't see the person's face very clearly because of how dark the alley was, he only knew one person with the signature move. It had to be… "Duke Devlin! Is that you?"

"The one and only!" Duke revealed himself, and threw some more die which hit the other rare hunters in the heads.

'_I don't know what he's doing here, but I am sure not complaining.' _Tristan was now well rested and decided to use this moment as an opportunity to escape whilst the rare hunters were still distracted by the surprise attack. "Let's go, Serenity." He grabbed the young teen by the hand and proceeded to pull her away.

"So Tristan, what's going on?" asked Duke.

"Run now, explain later!" Tristan called over his shoulder, and continued to run.

"Oh. Right," said the raven haired young man, with a questioning look on his face. He ran after the pointy-haired teen. _'What is with those robed creeps, anyway?'_

The caped men recovered from the assault by Duke, and were seething that the young man dared to inflict such a blow on them. "Where did those impudent twerps go?" yelled the man with gray hair, looking around.

"They must have gotten away," answered another one.

'_Just what Master Marik would want to hear.'_ The caped man with light brown trembled at the thought of being banished to the Shadow Realm for failure. "Come, let's go after them! They could not have gone too far." The group of men left the alley way.

* * *

Yugi thought about a possible move to make. _'I have to prove to Yami that I can handle this duel or he'll want to take over again.'_

A silhouette of the ancient pharaoh's spirit appeared. _"Remember, Joey is counting on you. You can win as long as you believe in yourself and the power of your deck."_

"_Right."_ Yugi turned to face his opponent. "All right, Joey, it's my turn."

"Then make your move. You have stalled long enough."

'_What do you plan to do now, Yugi?'_ wondered Kaiba, standing with his arms folded. _'You had better think of something quickly. Remember, you owe me a rematch.'_

'_If I don't draw the right card, it will be all over for me.'_ Yugi drew his card and slowly turned it over to see if it was one worth using. A small smile formed on his face. _'Yes! Red Eyes Black Dragon! This could be the key to saving Joey.'_ His smile grew even wider when he realized he would not have to wait to summon the beast.

Yami appeared next to his friend once more. _"Excellent. I see you have drawn the Red Eyes Black Dragon. However, it could be our only hope, so play it wisely."_

Yugi could tell his counterpart was worried about him playing the card too soon, but he didn't know what else to do. It was the only card he had in his hand that could put a dent in his opponent's life points, which he desperately needed to do. _'I understand his concern, but I need to take a chance.'_ "Joey…I am about to jog your memory, with an old friend of yours."

"Huh? And just what might that be?" asked Marik/Joey.

Yugi smiled. "You will see right now, so stand back."

'_Come on, Yugi,'_ thought Vicki, rubbing her hands together.

Judging from Yugi's words, Yami had an idea of what move the young boy planned to make. _"Yugi, are you sure you want to summon Red Eyes now? Marik may have given Joey a card powerful enough to destroy it. I think you should hold onto it until the time is right."_

Yugi thought about what his counterpart said and understood his concern. He also knew it was quite possible that Joey had been given some trap and magic cards even stronger than Hinotama. _'He's right. Maybe I should alter my plan. But what else can I do to save Joey?'_ The young boy looked at the cards in his hand once again. The magic card Exchange caught his eye. _'Yes! I can use it to show Joey the card. He can even use it if he wants.'_ "I play the magic card Exchange! Now we must each choose a card to take from each other's hand."

Kaiba's jaw slightly dropped open. "Why would Yugi play that card? What is he planning?" Sometimes he found his rival hard to figure out.

Marik controlled Joey let loose raucous laughter. "Your hand must be pathetic if you are foolish enough to play that card! I should have known you were bluffing when you said your card would be a blast from the past! Not that I need any help, but I am sure I can find a card to use from your hand." The blonde young man walked over to Yugi. "Come on! Show me your pitiful cards."

Yugi closed his eyes and held up the cards for Joey to see. Joey glanced over them. _'Now let's see. Which one of these pathetic cards can I make use of?' _ He spotted the Red Eyes Black Dragon. "Hey! It's my Red Eyes Black Dragon card! The one I lent to you, Yuge!" the blonde uttered in his normal voice.

Yugi looked hopeful. "That's right, Joey! You remember!"

"_Silence, Wheeler! You are to do as I say!" yelled Marik sharply. "It seems as if little Yugi is foolish enough to risk losing his rare card, and the Red Eyes Black Dragon happens to be the best card in his hand! I command you to take it!"_

"_No!" protested Joey. "I lent it to Yugi for the tournament! I promised I would duel him for it when I become a True Duelist!"_

_At this point Marik was beginning to lose patience with his mindslave. "You insolent fool! You will do as I say! Now repeat after me and say, "I have no mind of my own." _

"_I have no mind of my own."_

"_That's more like it, my obedient servant. Now take that Red Eyes card so you can use it to crush this fool!"_

Joey's hard look returned to his face. "You were a fool to play that magic card, and now I will punish you by relieving you of the best card you're holding!" He reached to pull the card from the spiky haired teen's hand, but as he was pulling it, his hand proceeded to tremble, as if he were reluctant to take it.

"Well you can have any card you want, so if you want the Red Eyes, go ahead!"

"I will!" Joey continued to pull the card, but his conscious told him not to once again. On an impulse, he proceeded to pull another card from Yugi's hand.

Yugi sighed. "There goes my plan to save Joey." He scratched his head.

"_Yugi, you may want to take a look!"_

Yugi opened his eyes and turned to see what Yami was pointing out. To his delight, he saw that the Red Eyes Black Dragon card was still there and Joey was taking Card Destruction instead._ 'Not like I was planning to use Card Destruction in this duel anyway.' _ "Yeah, Joey! You didn't take it! I knew you could overpower Marik's spell."

_Marik threw his rod onto floor of the ship. "I ordered you to take his Red Eyes, Wheeler! How dare you disobey me?! You'll regret that!" He retrieved the rod and increased its power on Joey's mind just a tad._

The blonde sneered at Yugi. "Don't misunderstand. I told you, your friend is gone! With the arsenal of rare magic cards in my possession, I don't need your Red Eyes! You're such a weak duelist that I can defeat you without monsters!"

Yugi was in total disbelief over what his opponent just said. "You can remain in denial all you want, Marik, but I know what I saw. The real Joey stopped you from taking the Red Eyes Black Dragon, because he wants to become a true duelist first! He gave it to me to help take you down!"

Marik controlled Joey grimaced. "Shut up! Your pathetic friend's mind is feeble in comparison to my superior powers!"

Yugi ignored the outburst, for Marik was only fooling himself. "Admit it. Joey's mind is stronger than you think."

"Enough! Let's get on with the duel already!" Of course, Marik _had _witnessed his power over Joey weakening, but he wouldn't give Yugi the satisfaction.

"I will. Now it's my turn to take a card from _your_ hand."

Joey held up his cards for Yugi to see. "If I were you, I'd choose wisely. Not that giving up a card would be much of a sacrifice."

'_He's right. If I am to find a way to get out of this mess, I will have to choose the right card.'_ Yugi eyed the cards in Joey's hand, and tapped on his chin, trying to see which one was best. He spotted Magic Arm Shield. _'This card will be able to help. I can use it to deflect one of the attacks if I have to.'_ He took the Magic Arm Shield trap card from Joey and went back to his dueling corner. _'Okay, it's now or never. Now is a chance to attack his life points.'_ "I sacrifice my two monsters in order to summon Red Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode!" (2400 attk) The ebony colored dragon appeared on the field, giving a fierce roar.

"Yes!" cried Vicki, pumping her fist. She had been tempted to leave the duel, take a lunch break and not come back until the duel was over, but now things were starting to look up. She knew Tèa was there to help her get through these turn of events.

Joey looked at the dragon which was once his, on his opponent's side of the field. He could feel memories of the beast flooding back. He clutched at his head. "It's my Red Eyes Black Dragon…the card I lent to Yuge."

The spiky haired teen looked hopeful, knowing that his new move seemed to be working. Maybe neither of them would have to lose the duel after all. "That's right. Look at the dragon and break free!"

The more Joey looked at the dragon, the more it felt familiar to him. "I remember…my dragon." Some memories of his Red Eyes dragon bailing him out of tough spots in Duelist Kingdom came flooding back to him.

* * *

Marik gripped his millennium rod tightly. "No!" he growled. "My control over that fool is weakening again!" Again, he was about to throw his rod onto the ground when he heard footsteps.

Odion wasn't sure how to break the news of Serenity's escape to his master, but he knew it had to be done as Marik would ask him about it sooner or later. _'I can only hope he isn't in a foul mood, even though he will be furious either way.'_ "Sir…I am afraid Joey Wheeler's sister has escaped."

That did it. Marik whirled around and faced his servant, giving him a scathing glare. _'Can't this fool do anything right?'_ He smacked his henchman in the head with his millennium rod. "You dare to report such news to me? Get out of my sight and see to it that she is captured!"

Odion merely winced from the pain of being struck, but his main concern was appeasing his master. "Yes sir." He bowed respectfully and exited the pier.

The memories of the Red Eyes Black Dragon were overwhelming the blonde. He fell to his knees and began clutching at his head. "What is happening to me?"

"Come on, Joey, fight it!" Yugi encouraged his friend.

"Yes, we know you're strong enough!" echoed Tèa.

"That Red Eyes Black Dragon seems to be affecting Wheeler's mind," observed Kaiba. _'Not that he is worthy enough to wield it in the first place.'_

"Well you heard Yugi. It used to belong to Joey until Joey decided to lend it to him for this tournament," said Mokuba. "It must be hard for him, knowing that a card he treasured will be used against him to bring him back."

'_It pales in comparison to my Blue Eyes White Dragon, but it will be interesting to see how it will work against freeing Wheeler's mind.' _

'_This is it. The real Joey is trying to break free. Summoning Red Eyes was the first step.'_ "All right, Joey. I know you're in there somewhere, pal. It is time to blast you back to your senses. Red Eyes Black Dragon, attack Joey's life points directly with Inferno Fire Blast!" The ebony colored dragon shot a fireball from its mouth at the blonde. Joey staggered to his feet and grunted as the fire blast hit him, dropping his life points to six hundred.

"This is awesome! I knew Yugi could turn this duel around!" Yugi's comeback put Vicki in a celebratory mood. She pulled out some graham crackers from her satchel to nibble on.

"_What do you think you're doing, fool?!" berated Marik. "Pull yourself together and dispose of Yugi at once!"_

"_Yes Master!" _

Yugi eyed the dazed look on his best friend's face, hoping his attack had worked. _'If this doesn't work, what should I do?'_ "Joey? Is that you? Are you okay now?"

The blonde gazed at Yugi with a smirk on his face. "I hate to disappoint you, but your little trick didn't work! Nice try, though." He laughed.

"Oh no," said Yugi. _'What am I going to do now?'_ He caught a glimpse of the clock. _'Fifteen minutes left.'_ He thought of one last idea, which would be a good way to repay Joey for what he had done for him.

"This duel has gone on long enough! You may have managed to damage my life points, but that is about to end right here and now! Prepare to say goodbye!"

_Yami reappeared, not liking where things were headed. "You have done well, Yugi, but I am going to take over before things deteriorate."_

_Yugi had a feeling his alter ego would suggest that. "Yami, I know you mean well, but I must stick it out. I want to prove to everyone and myself I am not the coward I used to be before I met you. I have one last idea to help Joey." He removed the millennium puzzle from around his neck._

_Yami looked worried. "Are you sure you want to go through with this, knowing what will happen if you are defeated?"_

"_Yes," answered Yugi firmly. "It is because I know what will happen I have to continue. I could never live with myself if I do not succeed in saving Joey and something happens to him."_

_The ancient spirit of the puzzle could see his friend was still determined. "If you believe in yourself, then I believe in you too, Yugi. Good luck. You have the power to save your friend." Yami disappeared. _

"Have you decided to give up?" asked Marik controlled Joey.

Yugi looked at his brainwashed best friend as if he were out of his mind. "I don't think so! I'm not going to stop until my best friend is out of harm's way!"

Marik/Joey laughed again. "I have given you the chance to surrender, but if you wish to prolong your misery, then so be it! I will make you regret that decision, with my next Hinotama magic card!" The blonde set the card on his duel disk. "Fire shower attack!" The torrent of fireballs rained upon Yugi, who screamed as he felt the discomfort. Ribbons of smoke swirled around him, and his life points were now at one thousand.

"No, Yugi!" Tèa cried out.

"Gee, I wonder just how many of those Hinotama cards Marik gave to Joey," pondered Vicki. _'At least Yugi is still ahead in life points, so I'm not too worried.'_

* * *

Having lost sight of the Rare Hunters, Tristan, Duke and Serenity were now hiding from them in a truck bed. They knew the men would not stay down for long, but were holding onto hope the rare hunters would not be smart enough to think of looking for them there.

Such wishful thinking. All of a sudden, the three teens heard running footsteps, as well as voices asking, "Where did those fools go?"

"Tsk, tsk!" clucked Duke. "It looks like they're the fools." He gave a small smirk. _'Good luck finding us here.'_

"I know, right?" agreed Tristan. "But it's nice to have a chance to catch our breath." The pointy haired teen knew curiosity killed the cat, but he had to know whether crossing paths with Duke this soon was a coincidence or not. "So Duke, what's going on, man? I wasn't expecting you to be here this soon. I thought you were in America, handling business for your Dungeon Dice Monsters game."

"I was, but I have something to take care of here as well, and while I was at it, I decided to check out this Battle City tournament. I also am hoping I get to run into Yugi. However, it's good to see you guys, too." Duke noticed Serenity behind him and Tristan. He had been curious about her ever since he came to save them. "By the way, who is that pretty girl you were walking with?"

Tristan felt a tinge of jealousy at the phrase "pretty girl". He wasn't about to let anyone have dibs on her that easily. "If you are hoping for a chance with her, you can forget it! She's mine!" Before Duke could snap back with a playful retort, Tristan lowered his voice to a whisper as he explained, "You remember Joey Wheeler, don't you? It's his sister."

The raven haired teen placed a finger on his chin and frowned deep in thought. "Oh, wasn't he the one I made dress up in the doggy costume?" He still couldn't believe how easily he was forgiven for that, and he wanted nothing more than to start over.

"Yes, but do me a favor and don't bring that up. You'll upset Serenity."

Duke nodded. "Fine." Come to think of it, the memory was quite embarrassing and he felt bad bringing it up. He still couldn't believe how easily Yugi forgave him for his obnoxious behavior. "Now that that's been cleared up, who are those guys that were chasing you and Serenity? Could they be the rare hunters I have heard about?"

"Yes, and they're nasty pieces of work. I know they are after Yugi, but I don't know what they want with Serenity and me. I mean, it's not like we have any rare cards or anything."

Although Serenity hadn't been able to see the robed men, she had a bad feeling about them from the things they were saying and how they were grabbing her. "Hey guys, if those jerks are after us, then that means…"

"They must be after Joey and the others, too," Tristan finished for her. "They may be in even more trouble than we are."

"We'll have to find some way to get to them without those robed creeps seeing us," said Duke. "However, that's easier said than done. "

Tristan gave Duke a look. "Have some faith, will ya! I'm sure we'll get out of here if we come up with a good enough plan."

* * *

Yugi was on his knees, still revealing from the attack, which left him exhausted. _'One more attack like that and it's all over. I have to hang on. I'm almost there. '_

"Just look at Little Yugi now!" mocked Marik/Joey. "I must say, I enjoy seeing you on your knees. Does this mean you have given up?"

By then, Vicki had put the crackers away. "Don't listen to him, Yugi! If I learned anything from spending time with you, it's that anything is possible!"

'_She's right. I have to keep going.' _Yugi slowly got to his feet. "It takes more than that to defeat me!"

Tèa, though inspired by her friend's fortitude, wasn't sure how much more he could take. She wished she was able to leave so she wouldn't have to watch any more of the torture, but at the same time she wanted to be there to support her friends. "Kaiba, isn't there something you can do to stop this duel?"

"That crate hanging above your head makes it way too risky, Tèa." Mokuba was just as disturbed about the events as Tèa and Vicki were and not only because of the foul play either. He turned to face his brother. "Seto, we have to find some way to stop this duel before it's too late."

"I know." One thing Kaiba was not going to do was risk any deaths occurring in his tournament, but he still had yet to find a way to deal with the situation so he wouldn't have to.

Marik/Joey looked shocked to see Yugi able to stand on his feet at all, even if it was just barely. _'His tenacity is quite impressive, but foolish.'_ "It would have been wiser of you to give up. My punishment has just begun."

"No way!" said Yugi, holding his millennium puzzle and walking towards the brainwashed Joey. "I will fight till the end."

"Kind of difficult to do when you're so shaky on your feet, don't you think? Well if you insist! First I summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode!" (1500 attk) A green colored semi-humanoid with a sword and shield appeared. "I activate its special effect, which allows it to drain 500 attack points from any monster I choose for one turn! I choose Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

"No, don't do it!" begged Yugi.

But Marik/Joey pretended not to hear the young boy. "Next, I play my magic card, Attrition and switch my Rocket Warrior into its Invincible Mode!" The small doors on the warrior closed, transforming him into his full rocket form. "This will allow my monster to remain unharmed while it attacks."

"Joey! Please snap out of it! I know you're in there!" He was somewhat stronger, but still a bit shaky on his feet. Even so, he continued to walk to his best friend.

"Don't bother trying to stop me! Rocket Warrior, attack!" commanded Marik/Joey. The warrior soared in the air, dove towards the dragon and struck it. The dragon hunched over slightly and lost 500 attack points, reducing its attack strength to nineteen hundred. "And thanks to my Attrition magic card, your pathetic creature will lose another 1500 attack points!" Red Eyes Black Dragon was now a very low 400 attack points. It collapsed onto the field, clinging to life.

Yugi looked at the severely weakened monster with sad eyes. "This looks bad," murmured the spiky haired teen. _'While this is only temporary, by the next turn, Joey may be able to summon a monster strong enough to destroy it and I'll lose the duel.'_

The blonde young man looked at the dying monster on the field with shock and horror. "Oh no…my Red Eyes Black Dragon…who did this to him..?" It was like he had dozed off or something.

"_Arrgh! My control over Joey is weakening again!" growled Marik. "I command you to kill that fool at once!"_

Joey collapsed on his knees and clutched at his head again. "Ahhhhh, what is this?! The pain! It burns! It feels like my head is going to explode!"

Yugi didn't want to tell Joey he unknowingly caused the near destruction of Red Eyes. He could see the blonde seemed to be feeling badly enough. He just wanted his friend to return to his normal self. "I have something I would like to give to you. You lent me your Red Eyes Black Dragon, so I want to repay you by giving you something valuable to me." He approached Joey and placed the millennium puzzle around his neck. "This is yours for now. Take care of it."

Joey glanced at his friend with a bemused look on his face. _'I don't know why this little guy would give his necklace thing to me, but I suppose I should take it as a nice gesture.'_

'_I can only hope this works, or the world will be in jeopardy,'_ thought Yugi as he went back to his side of the field.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

* * *

No longer hearing the condescending voices of the robed men, Tristan, Serenity and Duke came out from hiding behind the truck bed and were now ready to search for Joey.

'_It may seem dumb to show ourselves in the open like this for those jerks to find us, but we can't keep hiding forever. If those creeps do show up, I'll know what to do. It's payback time, anyway.'_ Tristan scratched his head as he thought of where to look for his best friend.

"Tristan, any ideas yet?" asked Duke. "You were so confident we would be able to find Joey."

Tristan noticed the raven haired young man had a slight edge to his voice, and didn't understand why. _'This guy needs to learn to think positive…his pessimism can really get on my nerves.' _However, he didn't want to start an argument so soon after meeting up with him, so he ignored it. "Let's look around for Battle City duelists. Joey must be dueling in the finals now."

"That is if those thugs didn't get to him first," Duke spoke up.

"What?" Serenity's face turned pale and she wrung her hands. "Oh no. Poor Joey!"

'_Okay, that does it!'_ Tristan raised a hand and struck Duke in the head.

Duke was taken by surprise by the pointy-haired teen's action. "Ouch!" He rubbed his head. "Dude, what was that for?"

Tristan gave the dice obsessed young man a hard look as he answered, "Don't say things like that in front of Serenity! We don't know what's up with Joey for sure! See, look what you caused!"

"What?" Duke shot a glance at the young girl's facial expression, which was a look of fear and worry. He instantly felt guilty, even though he was only going by his gut feeling._ 'Gee, who knew being honest could cause so many problems?'_ "Let's go find out where the finals are."

"Now you're talking. Let's split up."

"All right." _'This gives me a chance to get to know Serenity some more. He's crazy if he thinks I'm gonna let him have Serenity all to himself.'_ The ebony haired young man took Serenity by the hand and led her away.

'_Okay, here goes nothing.'_ Tristan placed a hand to his forehead as he kept watch for Battle City duelists. It was not as easy a task as it sounded since out of the many people who had signed up for the tournament, only a small percentage would be finalists, and there was no telling which ones had six locator cards unless he asked around. _'This could take all day, and time is running out.'_

It appeared that luck was on Tristan's side because at that very moment, he spotted a young boy with a duel disk on his arm. _'Goody, a duelist for once. Maybe this job won't be so hard after all. Here's to hoping he has six locator cards or even close to that.'_ He ran up to the boy and tapped him on the shoulder. The young boy turned to face him.

"Do you know where the Battle City finals are?" asked the pointy haired teen in a hurry.

"I have no idea," answered the boy. "In fact, I only have one locator card."

Tristan's eyes narrowed. "What?!" He pushed the boy away from him. "What do you mean you only have one locator card?! What have you been doing this entire tournament?" _'He must have been spending it slacking off…lazy bum.'_ He didn't think the youngster was even fit to be called a duelist, but he decided not to let it be known for the sake of politeness.

The boy was taken off guard by the shove, but wasn't about to stand for such rough treatment. "Don't touch me, you bully!" He marched away in a huff.

Tristan was about to yell some advice after the boy when he saw Duke coming from the corner with Serenity. _'They're back so soon. I wonder how Duke's luck was.'_ "So Duke, how did it go? The only duelist I found was someone with just one locator card."

"Well, at least you did better than me," remarked Duke. He took a short strand of hair on his finger and proceeded to twirl it around. "I wasn't able to find any duelists at all."

'_Man, there must be some Battle City finalists around somewhere.' _Tristan opened his mouth to respond, but he noticed the way Duke was holding Serenity's hand. He was instantly filled with a jealous rage. _'What does dice boy think he's doing?'_ On impulse, he took Serenity's hand, pulled her away from the ebony haired young man and walked away.

Duke looked taken aback at such a reaction, after he had risked getting caught by the rare hunters to assist his new friend. "Well excuse me for trying to help! " A thought occurred to him that Tristan wanted to hog Serenity. "So that's how it's going to be, huh?"

Tristan ignored the dice monster creator and kept on walking. Duke just shrugged his shoulders and followed.

'_Duke really has some nerve, holding Serenity's hand the way he was. If he thinks he's gonna have a chance at her, he's crazy!_' thought Tristan. Whilst he, Serenity and Duke were heading to the heart of Battle City, they spotted the group of rare hunters. Tristan's instincts told him to pretend he never saw the robed men and find somewhere to hide, but it was too late. Their eyes met his. "There those brats are!" one of them said.

"Oh darn it!" spat the pointy haired brunette.

Duke, who had been thinking about what a jealous maniac Tristan was, pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind when he heard him yell. "Tristan, what's up?"

"It's those robed freaks again!" Tristan knew it was pointless to run away because the caped men would just follow him and the others. _'But then again, I'm tired running. It's time to teach those jerks a lesson.'_

"Oh great," Duke muttered under his breath. "We're done for. "

"Not just yet," said Tristan. His lips stretched into a big grin. "I have an idea. Take Serenity and run!"

Duke looked at Tristan as if he had lost his mind. "What? But you're setting yourself up!"

"No I'm not. I have a score to settle with them. Besides, they would know where our friends are, which beats going around asking people where the finals are. Don't you agree?" Tristan mentally kicked himself for not thinking about this before, but then everything had happened so fast.

The ebony-haired young man thought about what Tristan said. _'He's actually making some sense for once.'_ "Yeah, I got ya."

"Good. Now take Serenity and go! I'll catch up with you later."

"Right. Come Serenity. Let's go this way." He took Serenity by the hand and led her away. Secretly he was glad the pointy haired teen told him to go on ahead. _'At least for awhile I wouldn't have to put up with his stupid jealousy.' _

As soon as Tristan saw that Duke and Serenity were out of sight, he approached the rare hunters. "All right, freaks, it's go time! Come and get me, if you have the guts!" He cracked his knuckles.

"You fool! You will regret those words!" The group of robed men started circling the young man, prepared to pummel him to the ground.

* * *

Yugi knitted his brow, desperately trying to think of another move to make. The clock was ticking and his life points were low. True, he was still ahead of his opponent, but he was not sure how long it would last, as he had a bad feeling there were other rare magic and trap cards waiting to be used against him. _'I wonder what is on Joey's mind anyway. He's so quiet.'_ The spiky haired teen lowered his eyes, afraid that once again his effort to reach his friend was a failure.

'_All right, giving Joey the millennium puzzle was the first step.'_ He glimpsed the ticking clock and saw that there was just over fifteen minutes left. _'I have to think of a strategy fast before the time runs out or Joey wipes out the rest of my life points.'_

Marik placed a handful of ice cubes in his glass and smirked evilly. _'It seems as if Yugi is more of a fool than I thought. He is willing to give up his most valuable item in a feeble attempt to win back his pathetic friend. I do plan to claim it as a souvenir after I win this duel, but right now it is useless to me.'_

"_All right, my mind slave, it seems as if the spirit of the pharaoh has no intention of reappearing in this duel, so we might as well kill him right now! Remove a part of the accursed puzzle and throw it into the ocean!" _

"_Yes Master!" _ Joey took the main part of the puzzle which contained the Eye of Horus and raised his arm, preparing to drop the part of the ancient artifact.

'_Oh no! It didn't work!'_ Yugi's eyes were filled with horror as he thought of what would happen to his alter-ego if Joey committed such an act. "Joey, please stop it!" As he watched his friend, he couldn't help but think of the time when he first had interactions with Joey and he was being teased.

Joey still had his arm poised in the air, but began to hesitate, for Yugi's pleading rang a bell for some reason.

_*Flashback begins*_

_Yugi was sitting at his desk working on his puzzle while he waited for the bell to ring. A big grin spread on his face once he saw that for the first time in 8 years he was making real progress. _

'_Ah, I'm almost there.' Yugi put a few more pieces in place. 'Grandpa will be so proud of me!'_

_On the other side of the room, Joey and Tristan were leaning against the wall. Joey watched Yugi with a look of disdain on his face. 'Just look at that little twerp, fooling around with that necklace without a care in the world. I don't think he's even awake yet.' His disdainful look turned into a smirk. 'Time to have some fun.'_

_Tristan glanced over at his best friend. "Hey Joe, what's up? What are you thinking?" he asked, noticing the blonde's devious smile. _

"_I think it's time to show Yugi how to have a backbone," answered Joey, his grin becoming even wider. _

_Tristan glanced over at the spiky haired boy, who was still busily working on his puzzle and also seemed oblivious to what was going on in the classroom. "Good idea." He and Joey marched over to Yugi._

_Yugi actually heard what Tristan and Joey were saying, but was just appearing to be in a world of his own in order to drown their voices out. Even so, he nearly jumped out of his chair when he heard the footsteps and saw a hand snatching his incomplete puzzle from the box. _

"_Hey!" Yugi got out of his seat and looked up only to see Joey holding his puzzle high, in a tantalizing manner. "Give me back my puzzle!" _

_Joey just laughed and stuck out his tongue. "If you want it back, you will have to try and take it from me!"_

_Yugi gave a sigh of annoyance. Though he was irritated at Joey's bully-like antics, he felt so helpless. He tiptoed and tried to retrieve the puzzle, but because of his short stature he was unable to. _

_Laughing, Joey ran with the puzzle in hand and opened one of the windows. Yugi went after him to see what he was going to do. He watched as the blonde removed a part of his puzzle._

"_Please stop. I'm begging you, put it back. I can't completely solve the puzzle without it!" 'Not to mention Grandpa would kill me!'_

"_Sorry, twerp." The young man promptly threw the puzzle piece out the window, letting it fall into the pool. _

_Yugi gasped. He knew the blonde was street wise, but he never knew he was this insensitive. Not only was he annoyed about the situation, but confused as well. 'I wonder what I ever did to them.' He spoke softly but firmly. "Why did you do that?"_

_Joey shrugged his shoulders. "It's for your own good."_

"_That's right," agreed Tristan. "Let's see what you plan to do about this."_

_Yugi tapped his chin. That was a good question. It wasn't like he could fight them back, considering he was nearly a foot shorter than both of them, and he didn't care for violence anyway.' I suppose I could tell the principal, but that would just be tattling and who says they would be punished? Either way, I have to get it back somehow.' Before he could head outside to look for it, the bell rang. _

'_Oh well…I will just have to wait. Hopefully it will still be there.' Yugi hurried to his seat, desperately trying to block out the situation to prevent it from distracting him during his classes. _

_*Lunchtime*_

_Most of the students ran out of the classroom like a herd of wildebeest. Yugi was contemplating using his lunch break to go and find the missing piece to his millennium puzzle. 'I fear someone must have gotten to it by now.' He stood up and was about to leave the classroom. _

"_Hey Yugi, wait up!"_

_Yugi turned around to see his childhood friend Tèa walking up to him. For the first time that day, he smiled. Surely she would be able to cheer him up. "What's up, Tèa?"_

"_What do you say we head to the cafeteria for lunch together?" suggested the brunette._

_Yugi wasn't all that hungry, but he needed the distraction. "Okay. Afterwards, will you come outside with me? I need to go find the missing piece of the puzzle Joey threw out the window." _

"_Sure I will!" Tèa's tone became indignant. "The nerve of those dorks…they need to pick on someone their own size," she stated through clenched teeth. She placed a strand of hair that was hanging in her face, behind her ear. "Shall we go now?"_

"_You bet! Lunch will be over before we know it." He and Tèa exited the classroom together and headed to the cafeteria. They were about halfway there when Yugi felt a tap on his shoulder. _

_Yugi stopped in his tracks and turned to see who it was. Standing over him was Ushio, a boy who liked to call himself his bodyguard and was on a mission to teach bullies a lesson. He certainly was fit to be a bodyguard, with his tall stature and imposing figure, although it made him look more like a bully than those he punished._

_Tèa stopped walking, too. "What do you think he wants?" she whispered to Yugi._

"_I don't know," the young boy whispered back. He turned to face Ushio. It was a bit difficult to look him in the eye, considering how intimidating the taller boy looked. "Hey Ushio. Is there a problem?"_

_Ushio looked at Yugi with a smile on his face, one that made the young boy feel very uncomfortable. "No, not at all. I just want to show you something, that's all."_

"_Oh?" Yugi cocked an eyebrow. "What is it?"_

"_Let's just say you'll be very pleased. You won't know any more unless you follow me." _

_Yugi didn't trust those words, nor did he trust the smile on Ushio's face, as it looked more like a smirk. However, something told him he had better comply. "Very well." Yugi turned to Tèa. "Tèa, stay here. I'll be right back!" _

"_But Yugi—"the brunette started to protest. Ushio gave her the creeps and she got the feeling he was no bodyguard but a bully. But Yugi left before she could finish her protest. _

'_Oh I hope he will be all right…I wonder if I should go with him just to make sure nothing happens.' Once Ushio and Yugi were a safe enough distance from her, she slowly started to follow them. She opted to stay nearby just in case Yugi needed her. _

_Ushio led Yugi to a pavement near the basketball court. His jaw dropped open when he saw Tristan and Joey sitting on the concrete, covered with bumps and bruises. _

"_Oh no! What happened to them?" Yugi cried._

"_I simply taught them a lesson," the self-proclaimed bodyguard said smugly. "You should be thanking me for taking care of the bullies for you."_

_Yugi was absolutely dumbfounded at such a sight. 'Thank him? How could he think for a moment I would want such violence? They may have irritated me, but they do not deserve this.'_

_Ushio sneered at the two wounded boys. "So did you losers learn your lesson or must I give you another beat down?" He walked over to them, intending to deal them some more blows until they passed out. _

_On impulse, Yugi ran and stood in front of Tristan and Joey, spreading his arms to the side. "No! I won't let you! These guys are my friends!"_

_Joey had been lost in his own little world and mostly drowned out the talking, but Yugi's last sentence about him being a friend made him jerk his head up. 'I can't believe this kid is standing up for us, after we gave him such a hard time.' Usually he would consider Yugi stupid for defending him, but the words made him think of a different outlook to have. 'I feel so guilty; I have to get that puzzle piece back for him.'_

_*Flashback ends*_

Yugi looked at the blonde with pleading eyes, hoping to find something in him that would make him revert to his normal self. Much to his relief, Joey dropped his arm and put back the piece of the puzzle he had removed.

* * *

'_No! My control over this fool is slipping again.' _Marik, enraged by his pawn's second act of insubordination, knocked over his glass of ice. _'SMASH!' _ Bits of glass shards and ice littered the ground.

"_You fool! I ordered you dispose of that piece of the puzzle!"_

"_But I couldn't. It's not right to destroy people's property."_

Marik growled in frustration, wondering just what would it take for Joey to obey his every move. One thing was for certain, he was _not _going to allow Yugi to prove him wrong no matter what. _"Very well, you may hang onto the puzzle. Either way, you're going to finish the job you started and destroy Yugi."_

"_Destroy Yugi," _repeated brainwashed Joey, as if he was unsure of how to carry out the order.

"_That's right. I'm glad you remember your mission." _Marik gave an evil grin. _"Kill him, kill him, kill him."_

Yugi felt hopeful that giving Joey his puzzle was making the brainwashing effect wear off after all. Surely the blonde must have remembered something from their friendship, based on his hesitation before. _'Maybe if I bring up more old stories, he will completely return to his normal self.'_ "Hey, Joey?"

Joey lifted his head ever so slightly, not directly at Yugi but enough to give him his attention.

"Do you remember our adventures at Duelist Kingdom? You fought hard in so many duels in order to win the prize money for your sister Serenity and her operation." He spoke slowly, desperate for him to remember _something_ about the events he was referring to._ 'Surely he would remember his own flesh and blood.' _

Vicki managed a tiny tight-lipped smile. It was all she could do to keep from agonizing over the fact that she wasn't there to experience the Duelist Kingdom adventures with them.

"Ser-en-i-ty," the blonde uttered, as if he were learning to pronounce the girl's name for the first time. He frowned slightly at the familiarity of her name, and a memory of her came to him. It was when he had been watching her get wheeled into the recovery room after her eye surgery. "Serenity…my sister."

"That's right, Joey," said Yugi, looking hopeful once again. "She inspires all of your duels…and you also promised we would have an honorable duel once you've become a true duelist."

"I promise," repeated the young man weakly. Of course, he couldn't remember very much at the moment, but he had the strangest feeling Yugi was telling the truth.

"Yes, and you have never broken a promise to me."

The hard, cold look returned to the blonde's face and he gave an evil grin. "Then I promise to annihilate you! Let's finish this duel already! It's time to get you out of my sight once and for all!" He took a look at the clock. There was only a little over eight minutes left. _'Now how should I get rid of this fool before he wastes more of my time with his ridiculous stories?'_ He looked at the cards he was holding and eyed the severely weakened Red Eyes Black Dragon. _'I could dispose of that pitiful creature and deplete the remainder of his life points, but I have bigger plans.' _ "Make your final move. Use it wisely."

Yugi could have despaired that he failed yet again, but the fact that Joey remembered his sister helped him to keep the faith. _'I'll never give up. I will fight till the end. I just need a good card before he destroys my Red Eyes. Good thing it's my turn now.'_ He drew a card. _'Mystical Rift Panel. This card can come in handy just in case Joey decides to destroy my Red Eyes Black Dragon with a magic or trap card…but then I also need to build a defense, just in case he plays a monster.' _"All right! First my dragon will regain 500 of the attack points it lost!" The ebony colored dragon looked a bit less bleak as it regained its strength. "Next, I'll place one card face down and play Beta the Magnet Warrior in defense mode!" (1200 def). The yellow colored warrior materialized onto the field. "That ends my turn."

Marik/Joey let out raucous laughter. Here he thought Yugi was more formidable than he looked and yet he was proving that view wrong. "So you choose to make my victory simple, do you? Well, so be it! I hope you are prepared for your demise!" The possessed blonde drew a card, and grinned. _"Meteor of Destruction…perfect! This is just enough to drain that fool's life points to zero! Go on my mindslave, set that card face down. Let's let some of the remaining time slip away. We will unleash its rage when the time is right."_

Yugi had a bad feeling about the grin on his brainwashed friend's face, but he would not be deterred. "If you're so ready to destroy me, then what are you waiting for? Make your move!"

'_I agree. I do not know why I have wasted my time watching this duel,'_ thought Kaiba.

"I'll do so with great pleasure! I switch my Rocket Warrior into defensive mode and place one card face down. That ends my turn. I hope you're prepared to lose everything!"

"We'll see who loses in the end!"

* * *

Tristan stood in the alleyway, huffing and puffing whilst the rare hunters lay on the ground, moaning in pain. They had tried the same onslaught on him as they had earlier, but he felt an adrenaline rush and pummeled them all with very little trouble.

"Did you punks have enough? Because there's more where that came from!" said Tristan, his fists still clenched. Despite his words, taking out his temper on the robed men made him feel much better.

The men were too stunned and dazed to respond. _'Who knew that scrawny little pipsqueak was so tough? Master Marik will send us to the Shadow Realm for sure.' _ They trembled as the pointy haired young man wandered over to them. He grabbed the one with pale brown hair by the collar of his robe. "Tell me where my friends are, pronto!"

The rare hunter had a scared look on his face and knew he had better answer if he knew what was good for him. "Domino Pier," he answered, flinching.

Tristan studied the rare hunter's face to see any sign of deception. He tightened his grip on the robe. "You'd better be telling the truth or you'll be sorry!"

"I am," answered the caped man.

"Good." Tristan released his hold on the older man, and made his way to the pier, only once looking over his shoulder at the robed men. _'I have the feeling that maybe Duke was right about what was going on with Joey.I should have taken care of those jerks when I first bumped into them.'_ He was in the middle of crossing the street when all of a sudden, someone in a purple sports car pulled over in front of him. He looked at the driver. It was Mai, and she had Serenity and Duke in the car with her.

"Hey Mai! Nice car." _'Mai sure knows how to surprise people.'_

"Hey Tristan. Nice to see you again. Hop in if you need a lift."

Although Tristan was sure the pier was nearby and felt he could make it there in no time, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to ride in such a cool car. "Sure, thanks!" He climbed in the backseat next to Duke. "So Mai, what brings you to this part of Battle City?"

Before Mai could reply, Duke said, "She is helping us find Joey. I told her about the situation and mentioned that I was pals with him, so she said to hop in."

"So what have you been up to, Tristan?" asked Mai in her sassy tone.

"Not too much…had to fight off some robed freaks who are after us for some reason."

"Robed freaks…Duke has mentioned them as well." Mai drew an image in her mind as she drove. "You know, they sound like those rare hunters I had seen around while I was dueling."

Duke lowered his eyes. "Rare hunters?" _'All I know is that they are nasty pieces of work.'_

"Yes. They are undercover duelists who lie, cheat and steal. Their goal is collecting rare cards and that's probably why they are after your friends."

"I get it now," said Tristan, understanding. Still, it didn't answer the question why they were after him, Duke and Serenity. He had a funny feeling the ride was longer than it was supposed to be. He looked up, glanced around and saw Mai passing the pier. "Hey Mai, stop, would ya? You're going the wrong way! That's not where Yugi and Joey are."

Mai's hand nearly slipped off the steering wheel. "Relax! I have all six locator cards. I know where they are!" she said, reaching a hand back to show Tristan all six locator cards she had won. She was offended that Tristan thought she would ever steer him wrong.

"I'm telling you, they're not at the finals now. They're at Domino Pier," insisted the pointy haired teen.

Mai gave Tristan a doubtful look in the rearview mirror. "Are you sure about that, Tristan?" She sounded as doubtful as she looked.

"I'm positive. It was those creeps who told me."

"Well, in that case…" Mai made a sharp U-turn and headed toward the direction of the pier, which made the passengers sway sideways in their seats. It was a good thing they were all wearing seatbelts. "Children, do not try this at home."

Serenity could feel her stomach churning at the speed Mai was driving and the sharp turn she had made. "Guys, I don't feel so well. I am not really used to fast cars." She rubbed her tummy to stop the wrenching around inside.

'_Guess I better get there as soon as possible…the thought of someone spewing chunks makes me queasy.'_ "Just hold on a bit longer, hun. We're almost there. "

"Okay." Serenity leaned back in her seat.

Straight ahead, Mai saw a sign that read "Domino Pier", and slowed down just a tad as she drove towards it.

"Hey, we're here!" said Tristan. He looked straight ahead and spotted two figures that vaguely looked like Joey and Yugi standing face to face.

"Yes, let's crash this party!" The blonde young woman sped and parked on the sidewalk that led to the pier. She went over to Serenity's side and helped her out.

Duke and Tristan got out and proceeded to walk briskly to the pier.

* * *

Marik stepped on an ice cube that had fallen on the floor during his small fit of anger and smirked to himself. "So the pathetic fools have showed up. Well, how fitting it is that they have arrived just in time to witness the destruction of Little Yugi at the hands of his former friend, Joey Wheeler!"

Kaiba heard the sound of the car door slamming and turned around. _'So the rest of those goody-two shoes arrived. Great.'_ He maintained the emotionless expression on his face.

"Hey guys!" called Tèa, spotting Mai, Serenity, Duke and Tristan.

Before the two boys could get close to the scene, Mokuba ran towards them and placed both arms to the side, blocking their way. "Don't come any closer."

"What are you talking about?" asked Tristan. "This isn't the time to be playing games."

"I'm not playing! Take a look!" Mokuba pointed to Joey and Yugi facing each other, the chain around their ankles and the anchor hanging above their heads, as well as Tèa being strapped in a chair with the crate hanging above her head.

Tristan and Duke looked at what Mokuba was showing them. "What the heck? What are Joey and Yugi doing?"

Mai averted her eyes as well, and had a look of horror when she saw such a sight. "Does someone want to tell me what on earth is going on here?" she asked.

"Some guy named Marik brainwashed Joey and forced Yugi into a duel with him," explained the young Kaiba.

"What? Why?" asked Mai. "They have both qualified for the finals already, haven't they?"

"Yes they have," answered Kaiba, just as Tristan commented, "That's sick." He clenched his fists at the thought of this Marik messing with his friend.

"If you think that's sick, what do you make of the set up?"

"Yes, I have noticed. What's the point of the anchor, the chain and the crate?"

"The anchor will fall once the duel is over, and the crate is so no one will stop the duel. The chain is supposed to keep either of them from escaping."

"Man! You have to find a way to stop this, regardless of what those creeps decide to do."

"But they can't. Tèa will get hurt," said Mai.

"She will if this continues," pointed out Tristan.

Mokuba turned to face the young ceo. "Tristan is right, Big Brother. We can't let Tèa get hurt. She helped save my life. We can get rid of the trap. Don't you have any ideas?"

"I have been thinking about it, Mokuba." _'How could the trap be destroyed? I will have to do it myself. But how?'_ A possibility came to him, one that was under his nose. He pressed a button on the collar of his coat. "This is Seto Kaiba, do you read me? I need you to send a remote controlled chopper to Domino Pier at once."

'_Oh no. My poor brother.'_ Serenity got the feeling she had better take her eye bandages off. She knew it would probably be something she didn't want to see, but having stuff hidden from her was much worse. She reached behind her head to unwrap the bandages.

Tèa realized what the young girl was trying to do, which she thought was a bad idea. She didn't think the first sight should be her brother being evil or else who knows how she would be traumatized. _'I can't let her see Joey this way. She'll be devastated. I have to stop her.' _ "Serenity, please don't take your bandages off yet!"

"Huh?" Serenity took her hand off the bandage.

"You have to trust me on this one, okay?"

"Okay." Serenity dropped her arms to her sides.

Vicki had begun to think all was lost until she saw Serenity. She knew for a moment that Joey was starting to break free when Yugi was reminding the blonde about her. "No, she _should_ take them off."

Tèa found what Vicki said incredulous. "But Vicki-"she started to protest.

"But nothing. I understand you're only trying to protect her from such a horrible sight, but you can't shield her from everything. Besides, this could be the key to helping Joey return to his old self. Don't forget, he did show he hadn't forgotten about Serenity."

"Well…I guess you're right," responded Tèa begrudgingly. She still wasn't sure about what was just said.

"Serenity, listen to me!" called Vicki. "Remove your eye bandages!"

"You're sure about that?" Serenity asked. She felt confused. First someone was telling her not to remove them, which must have been done for a very good reason, and now here was Vicki telling her to take them off.

"Yes. You always like to know the truth about your brother, don't you?"

"I do."

"Then go ahead and remove the bandages."

Mystified, Serenity started to unfasten the bandages on her eyes once again. She unwound them and tossed them away, then slowly opened her eyes. Although things were blurry before the operation, everything was clear now. _'I can see.' _ She saw the setup in the midst of the pier, as well as her brother. _'It's Joey! And those other people watching must be his friends. '_

"_All right, enough of this folly! "said Marik." It is time to unleash the fury of Meteor of Destruction! I hope you're prepared to die, Little Yugi!"_

"Okay, where was I before this rude interruption?" asked Marik/Joey. "Oh yes. I was about to dispose of you forever!"

'_So this must be why that girl didn't want me to take my bandages off.'_ Serenity could feel a lump in her throat. She wanted to cry at how malicious her big brother sounded, but she knew it wasn't him, and that he would need her help. "Joey, it's me, Serenity, your little sister! I hope you still recognize me!"

Joey turned around at the sound of the girl's voice. He opened his mouth to scoff at her, but closed it. _'It can't be...she's the same girl in that dream I had. Or was it a dream?'_ "Serenity…my sister!"

Serenity wanted to jump for joy that her older brother hadn't forgotten her after all. "I'm glad you remember me."

"_What do you think you're doing, you fool?" Marik chided the blonde. "I command you to forget that foolish girl and reveal the face down card at once!"_

"No! I don't want to hurt my sister." Just as he said that, lots of memories came flooding back to him: his sister's video message, his victories in Duelist Kingdom, his humiliating defeat he suffered at the hands of Kaiba, and his duel with Yugi. "I remember everything. Yuge was right! My past is real. I am Joey Wheeler!"

Yugi's face lit up when he saw that once again, Marik's control over his friend was weakening and he had remembered everything. "Come on Joey! Be strong! You can do it!"

"I gotta be strong." The memories were so overwhelming that the blonde collapsed on his knees once again.

"_You fool! You have no past!" _

"Ahhhhh, get out of my head!" Joey clutched at his head as the pain tore through it.

"_Your feeble brain is no match for my power! Now get up and destroy Yugi at once!"_

"No! He's my best friend! I won't destroy Yugi!" Joey yelled at the top of his lungs.

Yugi knew it wouldn't be too long before his friend completely broke free from the brainwashing. He was full of confidence at this point. "Marik, wherever you are, I have a message for you!"

"_Huh?" _ _The corn-silk haired young man clenched his teeth. _

"You hide like a coward, but I know you can hear me! There _will_ be a loser of this duel. It's not me, and it's not Joey! It's you! You will lose this duel! Joey has proven that our friendship is stronger than the power of your millennium rod! If you want to defeat me that badly, I'd suggest you show your face and duel me yourself!"

_Marik grunted in anger. 'How dare that worthless buffoon mock the power of my millennium item? He will learn about its full force the hard way!'_

Kaiba eyed the ticking clock and could not believe his rival would issue a challenge. "Time has just about run out. It seems Yugi is trying to become fish food on purpose. How foolish."

"So what's it going to be, Marik? This is your last chance for victory! If you have any sense of honor, come and settle the score yourself, _without _the death trap!"

'_I don't think so.'_ The taunting and goading was getting to Marik. _'I have no choice but to use the full power of the millennium rod on Joey.' _He held up his rod once again and emitted a large burst of power from it.

All of a sudden, the Eye of Horus appeared on Joey's forehead. "Nice try. However, your effort was not good enough! I hope you're prepared to lose! I activate my trap card, Meteor of Destruction!"

_Marik laughed evilly. "You were so vocal before, but who's losing now? I warned you that you and your friend were no match for me!" _

"No Joey! Fight it! You've broken free from Marik's mind control before and you can do it again!" Yugi was not going to let Marik win, no matter what.

"It's too late for that! Meteor of Destruction, destroy Yugi now!" A huge fireball was about to rain down on Yugi. Joey looked at the fireball, and the look of fear on the faces of Serenity and Yugi. "Aaaaah, someone help me please!" He clutched at his head again. He thought of the memories he had earlier and with a long struggle, the Eye of Horus broke. The power of the rod which was infused in him dissipated and disappeared from his body as well.

_Marik gave an angry growl. "No! This can't be! Joey's mind is stronger than I thought! Yugi was right! Noooo!"_ With that, he disappeared from Joey's mind.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

* * *

Kaiba, who had merely been observing what was going on, ran out of patience waiting for his henchman to send the copter. _'I guess it's too late for Gardner now.'_ All of a sudden, he heard a sound, which was propellers spinning. _'Huh?'_ He saw that it was one of the KaibaCorp choppers he had sent for. _'Took him long enough.'_

Tèa glanced up with a look of hope on her face, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the helicopter. _'Thank goodness. I thought I was going to fall asleep in this chair.' _ But when she saw no one was piloting it, her expression turned into one of confusion. "Hey, how did it get here if no one is driving?"

"It's remote controlled," Mokuba explained.

"Oh."

The rare hunter took one look at the KaibaCorp chopper and pieced together what was going on. He sneered at Tèa and grabbed the remote control for the crate. _'I knew I should have held onto it.' _"That does it. You nimrods have tested me long enough. I guess that's the end of the girl." He placed his finger on the red button, about to press it and have the crate crush the teen to death.

'_You insolent fool; you're dumber than you look!' _ The controlled helicopter flew towards the crate, used its landing skids to remove it by the chain and dropped the crate into the sea. As it landed, a massive explosion ensued.

The green haired rare hunter scowled over the loss of the trap that had been set, and then picked up a long piece of pipe. "That's it! I'm going to teach you a lesson about meddling into affairs that do not concern you!" He ran towards the CEO with the pipe, intending to strike him.

"Not likely!" Kaiba reached into his deck and pulled out a card. _'I place my faith in this card.' _ He took a peek at the card and to his delight, it was Blue Eyes White Dragon. He threw the card at the rare hunter's hand, wounding it. The rare hunter was so caught off guard that he dropped the pipe.

As soon as the rare hunter recovered from the blow, his shock turned into fury. "Why you…" he muttered, grabbing his injured hand. "You will pay for this!" He clenched the fist of his good hand and lunged at Kaiba.

"Nice try!" Kaiba grabbed the young man by the nape of his cape and tossed him down. The robed man was nearly unconscious from the maneuver. "That's for making me waste one of my powerful monster cards on a scumbag like you!" He looked down at the rare hunter with a smirk on his face and walked away.

"Great work, Big Brother!" Mokuba ran to Tèa's side. "All right, Tèa, let's get you out." He pressed a button on each of the chair's arms and then bent down and pressed a button near her feet. The cuffs that had her ankles and hands locked in place slid open. Tèa stood up, knowing she was now free. A flow of water came over the two youngsters.

"Thank you so much, Mokuba," said Tèa, ignoring the fact that she was soaking wet.

"The pleasure is all mine. After all, you saved _my_ life."

Tèa was so grateful that she felt like hugging the little boy, but she didn't want to scare him. Besides, what would his big brother think of such affection?

Completely free from the evil spell, Joey gazed around the pier. He nearly fell over in shock at the unfamiliar scene. _'Hey, what gives? How did I end up out here? The last thing I remember was being in that creepy warehouse with that robed tattooed face freak.'_ The blonde rubbed his forehead. _'At least my head doesn't feel heavy anymore…that's a welcoming change.'_

"Joey? Are you okay?" asked Yugi. It worried him that his friend had not said anything since the spell was broken.

"Huh?" Joey was still partly in a daze. His head snapped up. He saw Yugi looking at him, obviously waiting for an answer. "I have been better. Could you fill me in on what's going on?" He proceeded to walk towards Yugi but didn't get very far. He also noticed the millennium puzzle was hanging from his neck instead of Yugi's."What's up with this chain around my ankle? And why am I wearing your puzzle, Yuge?"

'_Joey will not be pleased, but I must tell him the truth,'_ thought Yugi, gathering his thoughts. "Marik brainwashed you and forced us into a duel with high stakes where the anchor will fall and the loser will drown. I gave you my millennium puzzle to free you from his influence."

Joey clenched his fist and shook it. "What?! That slimebucket! Wait till I get my hands on him!"

It was just the reaction Yugi expected, and quite frankly, he couldn't say he blamed him. "Never mind that now. Let's just finish this duel. We only have one minute left. Seeing as how only one of us can escape, I have decided I will save you."

Joey looked at his friend as if he were crazy. "Don't even think about it." _'Seriously, Yugi could be such an idiot at times.'_

Yugi went on as if he didn't hear Joey's objection. "No matter what happens to me, I will be happy knowing you are safe. If anything happened to you, I would not be able to live with myself."

Something in Joey snapped, but he felt too drained to get physical with the young man. "Don't talk such crazy talk! There's no way I'm letting my best friend turn into sharkbait, especially after what I nearly did to you!"

Those words made Yugi's heart feel warm, but he doubted there was a way for both him and Joey to escape alive. "It's all right. It is my decision. I am happy to do it." Tears streamed down his cheeks as he gave a small sad smile. _'I have to act quickly or both of us will die.'_ "I activate my face down card, Mystical Rift Panel! It destroys the effects of a magic or trap card, leaving me unharmed! I can also use it to transfer the effects to anyone I choose. " An elf-like being with long purple hair, pointy ears and pink complexion materialized. It used the mirror to stop the fireball, and turned towards the two gentlemen. "Mystical Rift Panel, redirect the attack at me!" The elf used its mirror to launch the fireball at the spiky haired teen. "Go ahead and free yourself, Joey," mumbled Yugi as he hunched over from the blast of the fire and his life points dropped to zero. "You only have thirty seconds."

"Say what?!" Joey never heard of such a thing. _'This Marik creep is out of his mind. How in the hell does he expect either of us to free ourselves in thirty seconds?'_ He wracked his brain for a solution. He wasn't sure how he was going to get out of this jam, but he knew he would have to, somehow. _'The little guy is so stubborn. I can't let this happen to him. It would be selfish of me to save just myself. And I have to think of something quick. Time is running out.' _ The blonde still had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that the winner had very little time to save himself. His mind drifted, thinking of what he would have done to Marik if he was nearby. _'Come on, Joey, focus,'_ a voice in his head reminded him. He looked at the face up trap card on his side of the field. _'That's it! I've got it! Meteor of Destruction has another effect. I can use it to make Red Eyes Black Dragon attack me.'_ Meteor of Destruction, activate your other special effect! Have Red Eyes Black Dragon attack me!" The severely weakened dragon raised its head and launched a fireball at the blonde. He cried out as the attack made his life points drop to zero.

At that moment, there were only ten seconds left on the clock. _'Oh man, I gotta hurry,'_ thought Joey. "Don't worry, pal. You'll be out of those chains in no time!" He started reaching into Yugi's keybox to retrieve the key, his arm falling asleep in the process. _'Oh great, not now!' _ He quickly shook his arm awake. _'All right, that was a minor setback…but I'll get that key. I'm almost there.' _ Just as he managed to get a grasp of the key, he could feel the chain pulling him by his feet. Before he could go to Yugi and try to free him, the chain pulled him and Yugi towards the sea. "AAAAH!" the two boys screamed as they fell into the ocean.

_SPLASH!_

"Yugi!" the onlookers, with the exception of Kaiba cried out. Mai, Duke, Serenity, Tristan, Tèa and Vicki ran towards Yugi and Joey as the best friends sank below the surface.

"We have to save them!" said Tristan.

"Here, let me!" Serenity noticed that the keybox on her brother's side of the field was open. She grabbed the key and leapt into the ocean. Just as she did that, Yugi's head popped up.

"Hey guys, Yugi made it!" said Vicki. But then she noted how slowly he was trying to get to shore. _'The little lad must be exhausted.'_ She looked down at her turtleneck and wool kilt and knew that they would be soaking wet, along with her hair, but she knew under the circumstances that should be the least of her worries. _'I'd better help him.' _ "Tèa, hold this for me, please." The long-haired brunette tossed her beret to Tèa, jumped into the ocean and grabbed a hold of Yugi's shoulders, pulling him to shore. Whilst she did that, she realized Joey hadn't come up just yet. _'I wonder how the lassie is coming along. Maybe I should give her a hand.'_ She hoisted Yugi's body up and Tristan helped him out of the water.

Before Vicki could turn back around to check on Joey and his sister, Joey came up from underwater, giving a little cough, with Serenity wading along with him.

Tèa was relieved to see that Joey hadn't drowned. "Hey, Joey is okay!"

Seeing that Serenity seemed to have the rescuing under control, Vicki dogpaddled back to shore, her long hair dragging in the ocean whilst she did it. _'How dumb of me. I really ought to wear my hair up more often. It's a miracle no shark decided to munch on it.'_ She spun around, sat on the dock of the pier and pulled herself up. Her hair and clothes were dripping so much, she was practically drenched. Her hair curled into ringlets.

Mai took a look at how wet the teens were, but mostly at Vicki. Horror filled her as she thought of possible ailments the Scottish girl would come down with: hypothermia, influenza, and pneumonia being among them. "Good grief, girlie, you are soaked!" exclaimed Mai. She raced to her car, popped the trunk open and grabbed four towels out of her duffle bag. She jogged back to where Joey, Yugi, Serenity and Vicki were and handed them each of them a towel. "You guys are lucky I brought extra towels, especially you, Vicki."

Vicki cringed at how much Mai sounded like her mother. She was tempted to tell her that, but decided against it. "You're telling me. Thank you so much." Vicki took the towel from the young woman and proceeded to dry her hair and clothes with it….as much as she could, anyway.

"You'd better dry off as best as you can," said Mai. "I wouldn't want you to get sick. You should have done like I did and brought extra clothes just in case something like this happened. I might have an extra outfit I can lend you when we head for the finals."

"True…" Vicki felt like a complete nincompoop for not thinking of that whilst she was packing certain stuff when Mokuba had taken her home earlier. _'Maybe I could just keep this towel wrapped around me?'_ "But yes…I would appreciate it greatly if you checked to see if you have an extra outfit. "

"Sure thing, hun."

* * *

(later)

Joey and Yugi stood facing each other, an uncomfortable silence between the two. Joey still felt rotten about the day's turn of events. He knew he owed his friend an apology, but he wasn't sure how to deliver it, given that apologizing and saying anything heartfelt weren't always his forte. However, he knew it needed to be said.

"Um I…well I…" Joey began. _'Just say it. Don't chicken out now,'_ a voice in his head reprimanded him. "I'm sorry man!" _'Now, that wasn't so bad, was it? _

"It's all right," Yugi reassured him. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

"But I almost destroyed our friendship."

Yugi could see Joey was utterly ashamed, and it pained him, especially since Joey had already made up for his mistake. "In the end, you saved more than just our friendship. You saved me. You proved how much you value our friendship."

"It was the least I could do. Once I realized what I was doing to you, I had to do everything I could to get a hold of myself. Even if…even my brain had turned into mush!"

"It isn't your fault, Joey. I hope you know that."

But Joey still wasn't convinced. In fact, he couldn't stand the fact that Yugi was so forgiving and wasn't making him take responsibility for his actions. He couldn't keep in his frustration any longer. "Marik made a complete fool out of me! How am I supposed to show my face in the finals now?!" He was practically screaming at the top of his lungs.

Mai had heard enough. She walked over to Joey and slapped him hard across the face, which made everyone gasp in shock, and he was stunned as well, for she had never done that before. Sure, she had chastised him in the past, but she never got physical.

'_Note to self—never get on Mai's bad side,' _thought Vicki. _'And here I thought I was the one with the bad temper.'_ However, she couldn't say she totally blamed Mai for her frustration. Joey certainly did sound pitiful.

Joey rubbed the area of stinging feeling in his face. Before he could ask Mai why she did that, the young woman said, "Please, pull yourself together! If you could just hear yourself right now! You have a sister that is inspired by you, so who cares about how you looked? Don't tell me you forgot how you wanted to win the prize money for her in Duelist Kingdom."

"Oh yeah." Joey scratched his head.

Mai hid a smile at Joey's expression-he could be such a softy when he wanted to be. But she was not done with her pep talk yet. "That was no way for you to act in front of Serenity. You're her idol, ding-dong."

"What kind of idol turns into a zombie and almost destroys his best friend?!" retorted Joey. "Talk about setting a bad example!"

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" yelled Tristan, exasperated. "I thought you would have realized by now Serenity will stand by you no matter what! She knows you're not at fault for what you did."

"Huh?" Joey thought long and hard about what his friends were saying and realized they were right, as much as he hated that his sister had to see him acting like an evil psychopath. _'Now that he's mentioned it, if it weren't for Serenity, I would be shark food right now.'_ He walked over to his sister. "Hey sis, thank you for saving my life back there."

"It was nothing," said Serenity modestly. "You were there for me when I needed you most, so now it is my turn to be there for you in any way I can." She threw her arms around her brother's waist.

Joey returned the young girl's embrace. _'Man, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have a sister and pals to stand by me. With their support, I'll win the finals for sure!'_

Kaiba had to fight the urge to make a face at the sappiness going on. _'Now that I have bailed Yugi and his group of cronies out, it is time for me to prepare for my victory in the finals.'_ "Let's go, Mokuba."

"Right, Big Brother!" The young boy and his older brother started to walk away.

Yugi saw his rival leaving. He felt he owed it to him, even if the CEO only helped because he believed he was obligated to. "Kaiba, wait!"

Kaiba and Mokuba stopped in their tracks, but didn't turn around to face Yugi. "Hmm?"

Yugi had a feeling Kaiba would probably scoff some cynical remark at his gratitude, but he decided to take the chance. "I just wanted to say thanks for your help."

'_Humph. If he thinks I am going to start doing charity, he is sadly mistaken.'_ The former world champion duelist did not acknowledge his rival's gratitude, but instead answered, "If you please, tell the other you that he has given me the answer to my question." He and Mokuba went on their way.

Yugi nodded, remembering the question his rival spoke about.

Joey looked down and realized he was still wearing Yugi's millennium puzzle. _'Geez, all this crazy stuff nearly made me forget all about it.' _He took off the millennium puzzle and handed it to Yugi. "Hey Yuge, I believe this belongs to you. Thank you for letting me hold onto it."

Yugi hung the puzzle back around his neck. "Thank _you _for saving my life."

"Don't sweat it!"

The spirit of the puzzle appeared behind Yugi. He had one of those deep in thought expressions on his face. Although Yugi had managed to thwart Marik's most ruthless plan yet, he had a terrible feeling the Egyptian would strike back with a vengeance—and the finals would be the perfect opportunity for him to strike, too.

Yugi sensed Yami's presence. He turned to face the spirit of the one-time pharaoh. _"Yami, I would also like to thank you for trusting me to save Joey on my own. Had it not been for your confidence in me, I would not have been able to."_

* * *

After filling a prescription for some analgesics, Keren went to the waiting area. Ishizu was sitting down, waiting for her. She and Keren left the pharmacy together, and were now prepared to head to the finals. They walked through the streets of Domino City where duels were still in progress, trying hard to drown out all of the distractions.

"Has your necklace showed you where the finals will be?" Keren asked, as they passed two girls who were trash talking each other.

Ishizu readjusted the mask she had covering her nose and mouth. "If my necklace is correct, the finals are to be held on one of Kaiba's aircrafts. The finalists must arrive at the stadium at a certain time, lest they will be left behind. "

"Kaiba certainly is punctual," noted Keren. "It wouldn't hurt for him to learn some patience, though."

"Agreed." Although frankly, the CEO's impatience did little to faze Ishizu.

"So do you feel prepared for the finals?" asked Keren.

"As prepared as I will ever be," answered the younger woman. "Pharaoh may have triumphed and freed his friend Joey from Marik's mind control, but according to my necklace, the worst is yet to come. Our work is just about to begin." _'It is no surprise Joey was able to break free. He is very strong willed.'_

Keren was at a loss for what she should do. She didn't want to run away, but she wasn't sure how she would be able to survive the effects of Marik's actions, either. _'However, I made a promise to Ishizu that I would help her to set Marik free. I also have to make sure Odion doesn't take the same path. To do that I have to become as strong as I used to be, somehow.'_


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

* * *

For awhile, Marik had been in such a foul mood after his latest defeat that Odion knew not to disturb him. He felt a bit calmer after taking his temper out on his already shattered glass. _'It's time to put my backup plan into motion. There is no way the pharaoh and his worthless hikari will succeed, once I enter the finals.'_

Millennium rod in hand, Marik used it to check on Bakura. The young man was resting peacefully in his hospital bed. The cornsilk blonde gave a smirk. _'A pity he has to suffer.'_ He emitted a golden energy sphere from his millennium item, making it sizeable enough to see that Bakura would at least be conscious even if he wasn't wide awake. The light shone brightly in his face.

_Bakura's dark half appeared to Marik with a "This had better be good" expression on his face. It was bad enough that the Egyptian actually had thoughts about making him wait. He placed a hand on one of his hips. "Well? What is the purpose of this meeting, Marik?"_

_Marik couldn't help but give his "colleague" an amused look. 'He is even more impatient than I am, which could become tiresome rather quickly.' "It is time to discuss our plan."_

_The dark spirit's facial expression softened a little. "I thought you would never mention that. It seems you have forgotten I have already fulfilled my end of the bargain." He smirked, thinking about how severely he injured his weaker half. "It's your turn to hold up the end of the bargain. Hand over your millennium rod now."_

_Marik clicked his tongue. "I will not hand over the rod that easily. If you want it, you will have to win the Egyptian God card Slifer the Sky Dragon from the pharaoh in a duel."_

_The dark spirit was beginning to lose patience with his new "ally", but instead of threatening to take the rod by force, he broke into raucous laughter. _

_Marik looked confused, as to what was so amusing. "Huh?"_

"_I'm guessing you're not duelist enough to face him on your own. Or have you failed miserably?" 'Such cowardice is appalling.'_

'_Is this imbecile going to question everything I tell him?' It was all Marik could do not to give a growl of frustration. He was beginning to regret making a deal with the spirit. "Look, do you want my millennium rod or not?"_

"_What kind of question is that? You know I can just take it by force and I have the power to do so."_

_Marik merely smirked to show he was unaffected by the threats. "If you want the rod, I suggest you do as I say."_

_Yami Bakura scowled. He despised following orders, but judging from Marik's tone he could tell the Egyptian meant business and was not going to budge. He gave an exasperated sigh. "All right. What do you want from me?"_

"_You'll have to obtain a duel disk as well as six locator cards to secure a spot in the finals. And do it quickly, for time is passing!" With that, the tan skinned young man disappeared._

The encounter caused Bakura to grow restless and roll around in his bed, giving pain filled moans and screaming. At one point he rolled dangerously close to the edge of the bed.

Mr. Mutou had been watching over the injured Bakura for nearly the entire time he had been admitted. When he saw that Bakura was in danger of falling out of the bed, he ran over to his side and gently shook him by the shoulders.

'_Foolish old man,'_ thought the evil spirit whilst he stirred. He stopped rolling around and opened his eyes.

"Are you feeling all right, Bakura?" asked the old man. "You were tossing, turning and groaning in your sleep."

Bakura sat up, panting and sweating. "I'm sorry if I worried you. It was only a nightmare," he said, trying to keep his voice sounding friendly.

"I have some exciting news that I know will cheer you up," said Mr. Mutou. "Both Joey and Yugi have made it to the finals."

The evil spirit smiled inwardly. _'Excellent. I will destroy Yugi in the finals and his millennium item will be mine.'_ "Excellent work for both of them! It is no surprise that they made it."

"Those boys have made me proud ever since I trained them. I have no doubt that the gentlemen would continue to do well in their endeavors. "

"Did they happen to tell you where the finals would be held?" asked Bakura.

Mr. Mutou looked sheepish as he answered, "I was so excited for both of them that I forgot to ask."

Yami Bakura gritted his teeth. _'Such an incompetent old fool. Then again, I should not be surprised. I'll have to find out myself.'_ He pushed his feet into his tennis shoes and started to get up.

The elderly man placed his hands on Bakura's shoulders, trying to stop him from leaving. "You cannot leave yet. You still have to get the results of your tests and convalesce. You can barely stand up."

As much as Yami Bakura hated to admit it, Mr. Mutou spoke the truth of his condition. Still, he would not be stopped. "Get out of my way, feeble old man!" the evil spirit ordered in a menacing tone as he pushed Mr. Mutou off his feet. "I do not have time for your foolishness."

Mr. Mutou was so taken by surprise at such a belligerent response that he didn't bother reacting to the pain he felt in his buttocks. "Who are you? You can't be Bakura!" He leaned back in fear as he watched the young man approach him.

"Very perceptive, old man," the dark spirit said with an evil grin. His millennium ring started to glow and he emitted some energy from it, putting a sleep spell on the elderly gentleman.

"Not again," Mr. Mutou groaned as he lost consciousness.

"Sleep well, old man." Laughing, Yami Bakura pulled the IV needle out of his arm and left the hospital room.

* * *

A young man with black hair was looking for a potential opponent to duel against. However, he had been spending most of the tournament watching the duels, for he didn't feel confident he could win against any opponent. He gave a loud sigh. _'I can't believe how much of the tournament I've wasted. I should have just showed some guts and faced a challenge anyway…now everyone is gonna think I'm a wuss. ' _He rested his duel disk on the ground and scratched his head.

Yami Bakura watched the boy from a distance with a wicked smile on his face. It was appalling seeing him look oblivious to the people around him and felt that resting his duel disk on the ground in the open was a careless thing to do, that he was practically giving the okay for someone to come and steal it. _'Hmm. Stealing this fool's duel disk should be a piece of cake. He is not even aware of my presence.'_ He walked over to the young man, and bent down to pick up the duel disk.

The boy was so startled by the footsteps that he nearly jumped a mile. He looked around, only to see a young man with snow-white hair bending over in front of him. To his horror, the young man was picking up his duel disk! "Hey that's mine! I can't duel without it!" _'Not like it matters anyway.I will never make the finals at this rate.'_

Yami Bakura smirked as he put the duel disk on his arm. "I'm afraid it belongs to me now. Your dueling days are over." He removed the one locator card the boy had from the duel disk slot and stuck it in the back pocket of his pants.

All the young boy could do is stand there and tremble. He looked as if he might start crying as well. _'What have I ever done to him to deserve being treated like this?'_

"Now let's see what type of deck you have," the dark spirit mumbled. He took out the deck of cards and proceeded to take a peek through them. He could not believe his eyes. The cards were nothing but weak monsters…definitely too weak to replace his own Occult deck. _'It was a good thing I brought it with me.' _He looked at the young lad's cards with disdain. "Your deck is pathetic!" scoffed the sinister spirit, tossing the deck of cards onto the ground with disgust. "You call yourself a duelist?"

"No…my cards," the raven-haired teen whimpered. He bent down to scoop them up. _'I knew signing up for this tournament was a bad idea.'_

Yami Bakura smirked and walked away, over to a couple of teen boys who were talking about the Battle City finals. He listened to them argue about how many people made it to the finals thus far. _'I had better make haste if I want to secure a spot.' _ He approached a young man with long hair and a scarf tied around his head and grabbed him from behind. "You! It seems like you know an awful lot about the Battle City finals. Tell me where they are!"

The young man, angered at this stranger's gruff tone, elbowed Yami Bakura in the ribs, which took the latter by surprise. "Get lost, homeboy! Where the finals are is none of your concern!"

Yami Bakura rubbed the sore area in his ribs and glowered at the young man. "I wouldn't do that again if I were you."

The teen boy glared back at the white haired young man, although he dared not say anything since he got the feeling this stranger was stronger than he looked. _'I'm really in for it now.'_

Yami Bakura grabbed the sandy-haired teen by his collar. "Well? What is your decision?"

'_Man! This dude is so persistent!'_ The young man was becoming annoyed but could see that Yami Bakura would not budge until his question was answered. "I heard something about some duels being in the cemetery."

Yami Bakura released his hold on the boy. "You had better be right." With that, he made his way to the graveyard.

* * *

A teenage boy with black hair, wearing glasses wandered around the cemetery. He found the atmosphere to be rather creepy. _'That dude said duelists would be here, but I don't see anyone here. This could be his attempt to be scare me.'_ All of a sudden, a large black bird flew above his head. He ducked as the bird was about to swoop down and peck him.

"Look at this! I'm scared of a bird that can't do me anything!" He pulled himself together and glared at the bird. "Hey! Dumb bird!" he taunted, waving his arms. "Come get me if you can!"

The crow simply flew away. _'Man, this is stupid! I'm just wasting my time. There aren't any duelists out here!'_ He was about to leave when suddenly a hand came up from beneath the ground. "Ahhhhhh!" He was able to get out of the way before the hand could grab him anywhere, but just barely. The person the hand was attached to came from underground, cackling. It was a young boy with blue spiky hair. He also wore a scary mask. Bonz.

"Ahhhhh! Creepy!" The young man stumbled backwards and bumped into someone. _'Wow, this person's body is big and buff!' _Quivering, he turned his head to see who it was he had bumped into. It was a shadow of a tall and muscular person. The figure came into the light and he was revealed to be wearing a mask similar to what Bonz wore. He ran away from the two fear inducing duelists.

Another young man with spiky red hair appeared, wearing some type of monster mask.

"Hand over your duel disk," all three young men chanted in deep commanding voices, walking towards the frightened young man.

"Ahhhhh! This place is haunted!" The teenage boy quickly dropped his duel disk and fled the cemetery.

Bonz, Cid and Zygor laughed as they watched the guy go. "He was wimpier than the last guy," said Zygor.

"Who cares? At least we now have 5 locator cards," pointed out Bonz, going over to the escaped amateur's duel disk and retrieving the locator card. "Only one more locator card and we will have enough to enter the finals. We'll have a chance to make up for the humiliation we suffered at the hands of Bandit Keith, when he took our star chips in Duelist Kingdom!"

"Definitely." Just thinking about what Bandit Keith did made Zygor's blood boil. "The next chump had better have a locator card or else things will get ugly."

"Things will also get ugly if they do," said Cid, with a devious expression on his face.

Yami Bakura wandered around the cemetery, but could see no duelists anywhere. He was losing patience. "Those fools will be sorry they deceived me," the dark spirit of the ring muttered to himself. He started to leave the cemetery to find the boys so he could make them pay for deceiving him. Whilst he was walking, he came across a duel disk lying on the ground. _'Oh so there are duelists here after all.'_ He spotted three young men standing around. _'Those mortal fools look familiar...I believe Joey Wheeler had faced them in a duel before.'_

"Hey guys, look at what we have here," Bonz said to his comrades, grinning. "A potential challenge."

"Hell yeah!" Zygor turned around to scare the wits out of Yami Bakura, but the evil spirit saw the onslaught coming and moved out of the way. He reached out, pulled off Zygor's mask, tightly grabbed his arm and placed it behind his back as if he were trying to break it. This maneuver placed a strain on Zygor's shoulder.

"Okay, I give, I give!"

Yami Bakura released Zygor's arm. He glanced at the gentlemen and frowned at their scary masks. _'How amateurish.'_ "If you mortals think you can intimidate the competition this way, you are more hopeless than you look."

Cid pulled off the mask, laughing. He took a good look at Yami Bakura. _'This bloke looks familiar…was he with those dweebs back in the cave?'_ He eyed the white haired young man, and noticed the duel disk on his arm. _'So this guy must be a beginner…I didn't see him dueling in Duelist Kingdom.'_

Yami Bakura was tired of the small talk and wanted to get going already. "All right, first things first." He cleared his throat. "We'll do things my way. I possess one locator card. If you'd like to have it, you'll have to duel me for it. "

"Sure." Bonz gave a huge smirk behind the mask. "I have five locator cards. Defeating you should be a piece of cake, considering you only have one. "

'_Stupid mortal.'_ "Since you're so confident you could defeat me, why don't we raise the stakes? This will be a winner take all duel."

Bonz laughed. "You can't be much of a duelist if you only have one locator card. Give me one reason why I should risk all of my locator cards for a nobody like you?"

The dark spirit bristled with anger at being patronized, but then gave an amused look when he thought harder about the insult. "Your cowardice is no surprise to me. There is very little time left, and if you are wise, you'll duel me."

'_As much as I hate to admit it, he is right. I cannot waste time,'_ thought the ghost duelist.

"Duel him and win that card, Bonz," urged the red head teen. "There's no way you can lose against him."

Bonz looked at Yami Bakura, who still had the derisive expression on his face. "All right. I accept your challenge. I can duel fair and square, especially if it means a trip to the finals."

"In that case, remove your mask and reveal your face."

"Very well." Bonz pulled off the mask and dropped it aside. "I hope you are prepared to lose everything, because you don't stand a ghost of a chance against me!"

Yami Bakura gave a sinister laugh at the ghost duelist's overconfidence. "Accepting my challenge was your first mistake, and it will be your last!" He activated his duel disk and his millennium ring started to glow, producing a fog of darkness. Bonz activated his duel disk as well.

"I'll start this duel!" Yami Bakura drew a card and gave an evil smirk. "Do you know of the legend about this cemetery?"

The smugness drained from the young boy's face. "What legend? What are you talking about?"

The dark spirit grinned evilly as he explained, "There is a knight who lost his head in battle and every night he goes and searches for his missing head!" He set the monster card on his duel disk.

"Boring!"

Yami Bakura merely laughed as the silhouette of the monster walked within the shadows. It popped from beneath the ground and took its position on the playing field. "Meet Headless Knight!" (1450 attk) "I'll also place one card face down. Attack my knight if you dare!"

'_So it's true…there is such a monster as a knight with no head!'_ Bonz was so taken by surprise by how suddenly the monster appeared out of the ground, and the fact that it had no head sent shivers down his spine. He let out a frightened yelp.

"Calm down, Bonz, your face is scarier than that duel monster," said Zygor, giving his friend an amused look.

"Hey, I didn't see it coming."

"Pull yourself together, bloke!" Cid advised Bonz.

'_He's right...but I have to get rid of that monster somehow…it's creeping me out.'_ Quivering, Bonz slowly drew his card. _'Great. This is strong enough to beat that creepy knight.'_ "I summon Snake Hair in attack mode!" (1500 attk) A sorceress with hair resembling small snakes appeared onto the field. "Snake Hair, attack with your stone blizzard!" The evil woman shot a beam from her eyes, annihilating Headless Knight. Yami Bakura lost fifty lifepoints as a result, leaving him at 3950.

"It looks like your knight has lost more than just his head!" taunted Bonz.

Yami Bakura was unfazed by the loss of life points. "I can assure you that you haven't seen the last of my knight! In fact, he will reappear sooner than you think! I activate my face down card, Shallow Grave! This card allows me to bring back one monster in defense mode! Welcome back, my Headless Knight!" The Headless Knight reappeared on the field. (1700 def)

"Nice try, but my Snake Hair is stronger than your puny knight!" said Bonz.

"I am well aware of that. I sacrifice my knight to summon Earl of Demise!" (2000 attk) A blue skinned zombie like warrior emerged onto the field, wielding his sword.

"Oh no! He summoned a strong monster! Mine's a goner!"

The dark spirit smirked. "I see fear has replaced your overconfidence. Earl of Demise, attack Snake Hair with your sword of peril!" The occult monster lunged forward and slashed the sorceress in half. Bonz lost 500 lifepoints as a result. "Have you amateurs had enough punishment?"

'_He's a better duelist than I thought.'_ Bonz grimaced and retorted, "We'll see who's an amateur when I'm through with you! You may have defeated my monster, but you won't be so lucky next time!" He drew a card, smiling._ 'Great! This card will help me get rid of that monster.'_ "I summon Dragon Zombie in attack mode!"(1600 attk) "I'll also play the magic card, Premature Burial! At a cost of 800 life points, I can resurrect one monster from the graveyard, and I choose Snake Hair!" The snake haired monster rematerialized, and Bonz was down to 2700 lifepoints from the sacrifice. "Lastly, I play my Polymerization card to fuse together Dragon Zombie and Snake Hair in order to create Great Mammoth of Goldfire!" (2200 attk) A gold colored elephant shaped skeleton emerged onto the field. "Since fusion monsters can't attack in the same turn they are formed, I'll play this one card face down and end my turn."

Yami Bakura drew a card. A half smile formed on his face. _'That fool thinks his monster is strong enough to destroy mine, but next turn will be too late.'_ He set the card face down.

"Oooo! I activate my trap card, Skull Invitation! This trap card drains 300 life points for each card either of us has in the graveyard."

The dark spirit gave an evil chuckle.

Bonz looked as if he thought his opponent was out of his mind. "Huh?"

"Your pathetic trap card is absolutely meaningless to me. To prove it, I will send every card I'm holding to the graveyard." Yami Bakura discarded 4 cards.

Cid and Zygor could not believe what they were seeing. "This bloke has gotta be mad if he will destroy his own cards," commented Cid.

"Or maybe he's cracking up because he realizes he can't win," said Zygor.

"So you're discarding your entire hand, are you?" asked Bonz, laughing."Well suit yourself. All the easier for me to win this duel and your locator card!" Some spirits swirled around the white haired man, draining 1200 of his life points, which made him grunt in pain. He was down to 2750 life points.

"Are you ready for more?" taunted Bonz. "Because my torment is just beginning."

Yami Bakura laughed again. _'Stupid fool.'_

The ghost duelist looked bewildered. "Now why are you laughing?" He was getting tired of the snickering.

"You were so distracted by the hopeless thought of winning my locator card that you didn't realize I set a card face down. It is my ticket to winning this duel!"

"Oh no! Please tell me you're just bluffing!" It was everything Bonz could do not to sweat fearfully.

"I'm afraid I'm not! I reveal my face down card, Spiritualistic Medium! This card gives my monster 500 attack points for each card I sent to the graveyard and in case your memory is failing you, I discarded four cards!" A number of white colored ghosts infused themselves inside the zombie monster, causing his body to flail. His attack strength was increased to four thousand.

"No! He's become too powerful!"

"That's right," said the dark spirit, giving an evil grin. "Earl of Demise, dispose of that mammoth!" The mammoth skeleton monster was severed by the sword. This attack caused Bonz to lose 1800 lifepoints, bringing him down to nine hundred. "Now you will feel the effect of your own trap card as well." Something that looked like a misty fog zapped Bonz, nearly knocking him off his feet. He was now down to 600 life points.

Yami Bakura laughed. "One more attack and this duel is over! And you will lose so much more than just this duel!"

'_Geez this guy is so scary.'_ Bonz started to tremble. "What? What do you mean by that?"

"Just look around, you fools! I have transported all of us to the Shadow Realm at the beginning of this duel. This is a shadow game! See those spirits?" Yami Bakura pointed to the ebony colored spirits moving along the ground like slugs.

The three gentlemen looked at them, their eyes looking as if they would pop out of their heads. Bonz felt shivers going down his spine. "What are those?"

"Those are the lost souls of people who have lost the shadow games, doomed to wander around the Shadow Realm for eternity."

"Ahhhhh! We have to win this duel or we'll end up like these guys!" said Zygor frantically.

The sight of the wandering souls was too much for Cid to handle. "This is much too scary for me! See you guys later!" He proceeded to run out of the cemetery.

Yami Bakura smiled as he watched the red head run. _'Run all you like, foolish mortal. You won't get very far.' _

Cid's running pace slowed down and he ended up just a few feet away from his comrades. "What gives? How did I end up back here?"

The dark spirit smirked as he answered, "Let that be a lesson to you all. You cannot run from the Shadow Realm! Your only way of escaping is if you are fortunate enough to defeat me in this duel!"

A panicky Cid grabbed Bonz by his shirt collar and warned, "Whatever you do, don't you dare lose this!"

"Okay, okay! Just let me go! You're suffocating me!"

Cid released his hold on Bonz's shirt. Bonz was visibly shaken by the latest turn of events. He took a few slow breaths to regain his composure. "All right, let's see here." He drew a card and a tiny smile formed on the edge of his lips. _'Hey not bad. This will buy me some time while I figure out a way to defeat him.'_ "I play the magic card, Nightmare Steel Cage!" A large semi-circular shaped cage appeared around Yami Bakura. "This card prevents you from attacking for two turns! You're through!"

"Good work, Bonz! You have two turns to find a way to wipe out his life points!" stated Zygor.

Bonz gave his friend a look of mock annoyance, for stating the obvious. "Duh! You think I don't know that?"

The dark spirit had a nonchalant expression on his face. Being trapped in a cage would not be fun, but he knew he could find a way around it._ 'I just need the correct card.'_ "I draw one card…" He drew, looked at the card and frowned. While it was a way out, he didn't think he would draw it this soon.

Cid looked at the dark spirit's facial expression and laughed. "What's the matter, chum? Are you disappointed because you drew a crummy card?"

"On the contrary. I am disappointed because this duel has to end, and I wanted to prolong your suffering."

Bonz found what he just heard incredulous. Was this a case of his opponent crying wolf? He hoped so, though he couldn't be sure considering how many times he had been outsmarted. "What are you talking about? As long as you're trapped in my Nightmare Steel Cage, you cannot attack me for two whole turns!"

"That's only partially true. But I have a card that can easily penetrate your cage!" Yami Bakura told the ghost duelist.

"What?! It can't be!"

"It is! I play Ectoplasmer!"

Bonz cringed, for he knew the effects of Ectoplasmer.

"That's right, cower in fear! Ectoplasmer, drain the soul of my monster and finish these fools off now!" The ectoplasm drained from the monster, shot out of the cage and zapped Bonz, taking his life points down to zero.

Stunned, the ghost duelist and his friends fell to their knees, quivering as the fog encircled them. They saw now that the Shadow Realm was real, when they previously thought the evil spirit was just making empty threats. Yami Bakura walked over to them, laughing. "There is no hope for you now. You have lost in your battle against me! For your punishment, you will remain in the Shadow Realm until I decide to set you free!"

The three young men screamed as the fog consumed them. All that was left behind was Bonz's duel disk, which had fallen off his arm.

"Farewell, imbecilic mortals." Yami Bakura bent over and retrieved the 5 locator cards. He gave a smile of triumph. _'Wait for me, Yugi and Marik.'_


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

* * *

Seto Kaiba and his younger brother soared above the massive stadium. The young CEO looked down and spotted a purple sports car heading in the same direction. He caught a glimpse of Yugi. _'Common duelists, if you don't want to be left behind, I suggest you make haste.'_ He smiled to himself as he thought about the start of the finals.

Kaiba's henchmen slowed the helicopter down and landed it in the midst of the stadium. He and Mokuba climbed out of the copter, Kaiba's white trenchcoat blowing in the wind whilst he exited. Two of his chief henchmen followed him. Kaiba stood with his arms folded, waiting patiently for his competition to arrive. _'Soon, the other two Egyptian God cards will be mine.'_

Marik and Odion hid in the stands, watching Kaiba and his younger brother. Marik gave an evil smirk as he eyed Kaiba. "Just look at that fool. He is so naïve, he doesn't know he will become a pawn in his own pathetic tournament."

"That's right," agreed Odion.

"Listen carefully. The time has come for me to dispose of the pharaoh and end the curse on my family once and for all. I will need your help."

The chief henchman nodded to show he was going to do whatever he could to assist his master. _'Forgive me, Keren, but I must go against your pleas.'_

Marik gave a tiny smile at Odion's meekness. He was secretly grateful, although he had no intentions of acknowledging it. "All of the Egyptian God cards will be in one place. As you know, Odion, anyone who has all 3 cards is capable of becoming the pharaoh. Yugi may have won Slifer the Sky Dragon from me, but he won't be so fortunate this time. The plan will be carried out in a subtle way. That is where I will need your help. I must hide my identity. Everyone shall think you are me. As for myself, those fools believe me to be a friend named Namu. I will gain their trust, and then crush them with the Winged Dragon of Ra!" The younger Egyptian gave an evil laugh.

Kaiba thought he heard a sound, which made him suspicious. _'Something must be amiss.'_ "Roland, have the lights turned on at once!"

"Yes sir," answered one of the men, a bit dubious about what was behind his boss' sudden change in mood. He took out his walkie-talkie and yelled into it, "Uh, turn the lights on!" At the sound of his voice, the lights in the stadium came on almost instantaneously.

"No one is to enter this stadium unannounced." The former world champion started considering which punishment would be fitting for the person who dared to enter the stadium without reporting to him first when all of a sudden, he could see some people coming. _'They had better be the finalists or else.'_

In walked Joey, Yugi, Mai, and the gang that comprised of the dueling cheerleaders. Mai was holding a duffle bag. Vicki had her arms tightly wrapped around her, for she was beginning to feel chills from being in such damp clothing for so long. Her throat was starting to feel a bit scratchy as well. _'Just great. The finals didn't even begin yet and I am starting to get sick, though I suppose it is to be expected. But I have to get out of these wet clothes or I will have to spend the entire finals in bed.'_

"Hey Seto, it's the first three finalists, Joey, Yugi and Mai!" stated Mokuba.

Kaiba's annoyance faded just a tad. He looked up and fixed his eyes on the three participants. _'Took them long enough, although I don't know what Yugi's pathetic fan club is doing here.'_

"Well, it looks like we are very early," said Mai, noticing how quiet the stadium seemed to be.

"Where are the other finalists?" asked Joey almost simultaneously. He wanted to face some worthy competition besides Mai and Yugi.

"You three are the only finalists who have arrived so far. Congratulations," said a henchman with brown hair, handing Joey, Mai and Yugi some ID cards.

Joey pumped his fist, the one that was free. "Yeah! I'm ready to get this show on the road!" _'Yugi, I never told you this, but I'm glad you haven't forgotten our duel.'_

Just then, everyone spotted another figure walking towards them, though the shadowy dimness made it difficult to spot who it was at first. But as the person came closer, they were able to. It was Marik.

"Hey! It's Namu!" said Joey, walking up to his new "friend." Vicki felt butterflies in her stomach once again, but didn't go up to him as she was feeling a bit poorly.

"Hey Namu, it's good to see you again!" said Tèa, running up to him. "Are you okay? I was worried about you."

"I'm all right," answered Marik, feigning a sheepish look. _'I have never been better, knowing I will soon destroy you all!'_

"I'm glad," said Joey. The blonde then got a funny look on his face. _'I have a bad feeling about this guy. He asked me to give him dueling tips but the rare hunters attacked before I could. And I don't remember seeing him get kidnapped by those caped clowns the same time we were kidnapped. How is it that he was safe?'_ He was wondering if it was because _he _was behind the kidnapping. He shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the feelings of doubt. "Congrats on making it to the finals, Namu."

"Thank you so much," answered Marik. "Ever since I've met you, I have learned to believe in myself. However, the rare cards I have won are not particularly powerful." He inwardly smirked to himself and thought, _'That's because I plan to win the Egyptian God cards and crush you fools!'_ Yugi wandered over to where his friends were talking with Marik.

Tèa noticed Yugi and felt stupid for forgetting her manners._ 'Whoops, I almost forgot to tell Yugi about our new friend.'_ "Hey Yugi, come here! Meet our new friend, Namu. He saved Bakura's life and rescued us from the rare hunters. Right, Joey?"

"Uh yeah," Joey agreed hesitantly, as if he were not sure.

"Hello, Namu. Nice to meet you," said the spiky haired teen, placing out a hand for the Egyptian to shake.

Marik shook Yugi's hand. "Likewise."

"It's always wonderful to have new friends," said Yugi. "I would also like to thank you for rescuing my friends."

Marik pretended to look modest. "It was my pleasure. I am happy to help anyone in need."

Joey's facial expression faltered as he watched his friend interact with the tanned skinned young man. _'Maybe I am overthinking this whole thing.'_

Yugi was about to respond when the gang spotted someone else entering the stadium. This person was walking rather unsteadily, as if he would collapse any minute. When they got a better look at him, they saw that it was Bakura.

'_Bakura? What is he doing here?'_ wondered Vicki. _'He can barely stand, much less walk.'_

Bakura started to walk over to the group and stopped about 3 feet away from them. They were not expecting to see him either, as he should be in the hospital.

"Bakura! What are you doing here?" asked Joey. "You're still in bad shape."

Yugi looked concerned as he noted his friend's unsteady gait. "Yes, Grandpa told me you had lost a lot of blood."

"Does your wound feel better?" asked Tèa.

Bakura looked as if he was uncomfortable at all the fuss made over him, although he was still in pain from the stab wound. "I'm fine."

"You're sure about that?" asked Joey incredulously.

"Positive. You guys worry too much."

Joey still wasn't convinced, but he didn't want to push things. "If you say so." _'Something fishy is going on here. There's no way he could have healed that fast.'_ He eyed the young man's arm and saw that he was wearing a duel disk. Lots of questions entered his mind, like why was he wearing a duel disk. "Seriously though, what brings you here?"

"I have qualified for the finals, of course," answered Bakura.

"Say what?!" the whole gang gasped.

"How could you have made it all the way to the finals in such a short time?" inquired Joey. "Or better yet, when did you join the tournament?"

Bakura took out all the locator cards and held them up. "I have all six locator cards."

It was all Joey could do not to keel over in shock. There wasn't much time between his buddy's hospitalization and now.

Marik discreetly gave an evil grin when he saw Bakura holding up the locator cards. _'Excellent. Everything is going according to my plan. I even managed to fool Little Yugi. Once he realizes that I am his greatest nightmare, it will be too late for him!'_

Joey decided to forget about Bakura and his locator cards for now. The arrival of a rare hunter with tanned skin and a tattoo on one side of his face caught his attention instead. He could feel his blood pressure rising and hatred filling him.

The man walked over to Kaiba. The CEO gave him a look of indifference, and simply asked, "Are you Marik?"

"Yes," answered Odion.

"Hey! I'll never forgive you for treating me like one of your mind puppets!" Joey yelled at him.

'_Such an impetuous one.' _ Odion barely gave the blonde eye contact. "Would you like to be controlled again?"

Such a threat did not scare Joey. "The only reason I won't kill you right here and now is because I would like to save that energy to defeat you in an honorable duel!"

Kaiba gave Odion a hard look. "I should disqualify you and have you arrested for kidnapping my little brother, but because you have something I want, I'll let you participate in my tournament."

"It seems as if you don't have too many friends around here, tattooed face!" yelled Mokuba.

"Humph!" The tattooed face rare hunter walked away.

Roland cleared his throat. "All right, finalists. This site is merely a meeting place for you all. This is not where the finals will be held."

Before the duelists could ask where, Mokuba raised an arm and declared, "That's right! The actual dueling arena will be here any minute! It'll blow you away!"

"Huh?" Joey was anxious to see what this designated dueling site was. At that moment, a large dirigible appeared soaring in the sky. It was the one that read: DUEL SHIP. The large aircraft landed on the ground and automatically opened its side door, revealing some stairs.

The blonde's jaw slightly dropped open. "That's where we'll be dueling?" Not to say he didn't like the idea, but he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"That's right," answered Mokuba, grinning. "What do you think?"

Before Joey could answer, Mai chirped, "Très cool!" She walked up the stairs, with Yugi and Joey following close behind.

The non-duelists started to follow as well, but Roland blocked them from passing, forcing them to stop in their tracks. "Sorry, but you cannot enter the aircraft unless you have an ID. This vessel is for duelists only."

A look of disappointment showed on Serenity's face. She was looking forward to supporting her older brother in person and here she was being told it wouldn't be possible. "But sir, I've wanted to see my brother duel for a long time."

"Yeah, let us on!" chimed Duke. "The duelists need support, too."

The brunette henchman looked thoughtful regarding Serenity's plea. He hated to disappoint her, but he didn't want to feel the wrath of his boss, either. "I'm sorry, but that's the rule."

"Come on, have a heart!" said Tristan.

Mokuba listened to Yugi's friends argue with the henchmen. To him, it seemed like they were forgetting something. He knew just how to put an end to the back and forth, since it seemed like the henchmen were not going to budge. "Hey, I don't have an ID either and I'm going. It wouldn't hurt to make an exception for them."

"But—"Roland started to protest. It was true, the young lad didn't have an ID, but he felt it was different since Mokuba had an important role in the tournament—the commissioner.

Mokuba turned to his older brother for backup. "What do you think, Big Bro?"

Yugi's friends were not exactly Kaiba's favorite people, but he felt compelled to humor them. "Do as you wish," answered the CEO in a nonchalant tone.

Upon hearing those words, Tristan and the others knew they were given the green light to go after all. "Yes!" Tristan pumped his fist into the air and ran up the steps of the blimp. Serenity, Vicki, Tèa and Duke followed.

"Just pretend you didn't see it," said Kaiba.

"Yes sir." _'As soon as the eighth duelist arrives, we will depart.'_

But it seemed like Kaiba had other plans. "Roland, prepare the blimp for take-off."

"But sir, with all due respect, the eighth finalist has not yet arrived."

"Never mind that." Kaiba entered his large ship. _'What is more important is that the duelists that hold Egyptian God cards are here, so everyone else is of no significance to me.'_ He had very little patience for delays.

Roland was at a loss for what to do. He didn't want the eighth duelist to be left behind, but he didn't want to risk angering Kaiba. He tapped his feet, trying to figure out what to do when he saw a tanned skinned woman dressed in a cream colored dress with a gold belt around the waist, a veil draped over her head and a mask which covered her nose and mouth approaching him. With her was another lady dressed in traditional Israeli clothing. They approached the gentlemen.

"You gentlemen are waiting for me, are you not?" asked Ishizu.

"Yes."

"Here are my locator cards," said the Egyptian, handing Roland the cards she had won.

"Thank you. Welcome to the finals." Roland noticed the woman who was standing next to Ishizu, and assumed she had come to give moral support. Given that Kaiba was so gracious towards Yugi's friends who also did not have IDs, he didn't ask any questions.

Ishizu and Keren entered the blimp, and the door shut. Roland was so relieved that he didn't have to wait long.

* * *

"The duels will commence in approximately one hour!" Roland announced over the speakers.

By the time the aircraft was soaring in the air, Vicki was shivering uncontrollably from the cool breeze that blew from the air conditioner. She could also feel her hip joints starting to stiffen. Mai took one look at the girl and said, "Come on, hun, we'd better get you out of those wet clothes or else you will catch pneumonia!"

Vicki coughed loudly. "It's too late. I'm already sick."

The blonde gave Vicki a hard look that said not to argue with her. "True, but you'll be even sicker if you remain in those clothes for another minute. Now come on!" She grabbed the girl by the wrist. She had done it so unexpectedly that Vicki had to struggle to keep up with her.

Mai used her card shaped key to open the door. The door slid open and she led the brunette inside. The room was huge and spacious, considerably larger than the bedroom in her apartment. Ordinarily she would be envious, but at the moment that wasn't on her mind. All she wanted to do was get out of the wet clothing. She was secretly grateful to Mai for being so insistent.

"All right, let's see what I can find for you," said the blonde young woman, placing her bag on the bed and zipping it open. Vicki watched as she took out two outfits and tossed them onto the bed. The first outfit consisted of a vest-like white shirt, a bright purple sleeveless jacket and a bright purple skirt similar to the one she was currently wearing. But it was the other outfit Vicki thought was more her style, when she was out of the typical Scottish attire: a black tank top, a black bolero jacket and a hot pink skirt. She chose that one.

Mai smiled at the younger girl's choice. "I cannot wait to see you in it. I'm sure you'll look just great."

"I'm glad you think so." Vicki wrapped the semi-damp towel around her head, took the clothes and disappeared into the bathroom to change.

In the meantime, Mai decided to see if there were any refreshments in her refrigerator. _'For someone with such a bad attitude, Kaiba sure knows how to make a girl feel at home.'_ She opened the fridge and peeked inside. There was some gorgonzola cheese, fruit, veggies, milk, grape juice and wine. Frowning slightly, she decided she wasn't particularly hungry for any of the food items. _'I can use a drink to help me feel more relaxed in this tournament, though.' _She took out a wine glass and poured some wine. She sat in a chair and took a sip of the pinkish liquid.

"I may not be well known among duel monsters fans in spite of my talents, but I will use this tournament to make a name for myself." It was slightly disappointing when Mai would come so close to victory only to not be quite successful. In the end, she would take it in stride and admit that she had numerous new things to learn about the game.

* * *

Ishizu sat in her room with Keren, mentally preparing herself for the tournament. She knew she was in for a long and hard battle to save her brother from the darkness before it was too late. _'Everything is set in place. It's up to fate now.'_ She hoped fate would choose her brother to be saved.

Keren looked up from the jam sandwich she had been nibbling on. She didn't have much of an appetite, but she had to force herself to eat something so she could take her pain medication. "Ishizu, when will you inform Marik of his past?"

"I will after the first duel," responded Ishizu. "As much as I would like for those revelations to make him reconsider his plans, I know they will not right now. However, I still think it is good for him to be aware of the truth. We'll have to have faith that he will use it to choose the correct path once again."

Keren was tempted to ask what the millennium necklace showed of Marik's response to being told about his past, but she didn't think she wanted to know. Not yet. She preferred to face the events as they occurred. She was already worried about whether Odion would go too far. She wondered if he even made it to the finals.

Suddenly, Keren thought of something. She wondered if she should have entered the tournament to save Odion from making an irreversible mistake even though she hadn't dueled in years. _'I imagine my dueling skills must be rusty by now, but I should not have let that stop me. Ishizu must think I'm cowardly or lazy.'_

Ishizu noticed Keren was unusually quiet, although she wasn't eating anything at the moment. "Is something wrong? You look a bit troubled."

Keren wondered if she was actually showing on her face that something was bothering her. If she had, she wasn't aware. "It's nothing." She felt guilty about hiding her true feelings, but she didn't see what Ishizu would be able to say or do to help, given that it was too late now.

Ishizu frowned slightly, as if she knew Keren wasn't being entirely truthful, but she figured the older woman must have her reasons for not saying what she felt. "If you're sure."

Keren let out a sigh of relief that Ishizu didn't try and force the truth out of her, but on the other hand, she was surprised as well, since Ishizu always prided herself on having an open and honest relationship with those close to her. She started picking at her sandwich once again.

* * *

Odion was sitting on the floor of his room. He had been going over the strategy he would use for his duel. Although he wasn't sure when he would duel and who his opponent would be, he thought it would be wise to be prepared, especially if his opponent was formidable.

'_I must emerge victorious in my battles. It is my sworn duty to succeed.'_ He remembered the promise he made to Marik's parents many years ago, to always protect his master at all costs. By the same token, he also hoped Marik would see the error of his ways and be completely free from the darkness. _'Maybe then Keren and I will be able to rebuild our relationship.'_ He was aware of the fact that his relationship with his female companion had recently been strained as a result of his actions. He wondered how she was doing at the moment.

'_You fool, there is no time for frivolous things such as romance,' _the Egyptian rare hunter's inner voice chided him. He rid his mind of the thoughts he had of Keren. He had reached the crucial point where distractions of any kind were a luxury he could not afford, lest his performance would be hindered.

"_Attention all duelists! The tournament will commence shortly! I would advise all of you to gather in the hall where refreshments will be served!"_

The part about the refreshments being served totally caught Joey's attention. _'It's about time! I'm starving!'_ His mouth started to water as he imagined what all foods would be there. He jumped to his feet and raced to the door. "Last one out of this room is a rotten egg!" He used his key to open the door.

Duke and Tèa rolled their eyes at the blonde's exuberance, but followed. "The only thing besides food that makes Joey be in such a hurry is his worst enemy," Tèa whispered to Duke.

"I know. It's as if he hasn't seen food in years," Duke whispered back.

"Hey, wait for us!" Tristan and Serenity quickened their walking pace to keep up with Tèa, Duke and Joey. Although Tristan pretended to be embarrassed by his best friend most of the time, he could use a bite to eat as well.

As Joey walked out of the room, he saw Kaiba exiting his room the same time. The CEO walked by as if he didn't see the blonde. Joey clenched his teeth and fists, still sore about the taunting Kaiba had dealt him earlier. _'That guy needs to learn some manners! I'm going to defeat him if it's the last thing I do!'_ He started to walk to the hall when he saw Marik coming out of his room, which made him stop.

"Hello, Joey," greeted Marik with false cheerfulness.

"Hey man! Are you ready for the tournament to begin?"

'_Yes, I have been ready, you imbecile,'_ Marik thought to himself. However, he knew full well he could not say that. "Yes, as ready as I'll ever be. How about you?"

"You bet I am!" replied Joey with a wide grin on his face. "I must warn you, when I'm dueling against my friends, I don't show any mercy, so don't expect any from me if we duel."

"I admire your determination. I hope I can remain that confident. May the best duelist win."

"Right back at you." _'I'll win this tournament no matter who my opponent is. Even if it's Yugi, I'll win!'_ Joey and his friends continued walking to the tournament hall.

* * *

Soon, all of the duelists (minus Ishizu) were gathered at the hall. There was a table with a large spread of different foods from different cuisines. Joey's mouth started watering like crazy. He and Tristan made a beeline for the table, grabbed plates and started taking a little bit of everything. Once they were done, Bakura went over to the table and got what food appealed to him.

Yugi stood by himself in a corner, merely observing what was going on. A silhouette of his alter ego appeared next to him.

"Hi Yami. What's up?" The spiky haired teen noted the expression on Yami's face was extremely serious, one he would wear when he was concerned about something.

"I have a bad feeling about Bakura's presence in this tournament," answered the spirit of the ancient pharaoh. "I have a feeling he isn't our friend, but the spirit of the millennium ring. "

"Yes, I know what you mean. I have the same suspicions as well." Yugi caught a glimpse of Bakura devouring a piece of steak. "What I'm confused about is, how could he have the millennium ring? I thought Tristan disposed of it in Duelist Kingdom."

Yami drew his eyebrows together. "You cannot underestimate the power of a millennium item. If he is truly destined to have it, then the ring would have found its way back to him."

"I guess you're right." Yugi had never thought of it that way before, but it was bad news. "I just know we have to keep an eye on him before he does major damage. "

"That we must." Yami merged with Yugi.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

* * *

Preparations for the commencement of the tournament were underway. Mai walked up to Yami with an excited grin on her face. "I hope you're prepared to face me in a duel in this tournament. You may have defeated me in Duelist Kingdom, but this time, I won't lose to you."

'_I take it her dueling skills have progressed since our first duel.' _Yami gave a small reserved smile. "I am looking forward to an honorably fought match."

"Of course." Mai made a little face. _'Does he really think I would want to win a duel against him by foul play?'_ She was far past the stage where she used the tactic of using psychic tricks to throw off her opponents.

Joey walked up and down the hall whilst chowing down on his food. "Wow, this is food heaven! Who would have thought Kaiba knew how to serve yummy food? I think I'm gonna get seconds if I have time to." From the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Odion standing in the corner with his head slightly bowed down. He shot the older man a dirty look. _'Marik...such a dickhead! One day I will make him pay for controlling my mind!'_

Odion looked up the blonde, amused. _'This fool is just wasting his energy on such negativity. He can do nothing against me!'_

Joey quickly walked past Odion. He preferred not to be near the rare hunter for a long time, lest he would lose his appetite. He bumped into Bakura and his food nearly flew off his plate. "Oops, sorry bud. I hope I didn't hurt you."

"It's quite all right," answered the young man in his cheerful voice. "I'm fine."

"I've been wondering, how were you able to make it all the way to the finals so fast?" asked Joey.

"With my Occult deck against Bonz's ghost deck."

Joey gave a look of awe. He remembered facing Bonz and found him to be a tough cookie. "Oh you faced Bonz and his band of flunkies?"

"Yes. They tried to overwhelm me, but my occult deck was more than enough to overpower them."

Joey never liked the ghost duelist, so it was good to hear that another duelist beside himself made Bonz squirm. He gave an impressed look. "Tell me, how were you able to get Bonz to give up all of his locator cards?"

"Let's just say I didn't give him much choice."

Joey widened an eye. "You mean you forced him?"

"Sort of."

Joey didn't know whether to consider that a good or bad thing. Sure, he was glad Bonz got his butt kicked, but forcing him was a bit much. "Awesome work, I think."

"Yes, thank you. And I hope _you_ do just as well in the tournament."

'_I will be lucky if I don't have to duel him.'_ Joey walked away with a creeped out expression on his face. _'There's something not right about Bakura.'_

Serenity noticed the look on her brother's face. "Is something wrong, Joey? You look like you've seen a ghost."

'_Rats! I can't tell her about my suspicions…I don't wanna scare her.'_ "Nothing...this cheese just tastes kinda funny." _'Very smooth attempt at coming up with an excuse, Joey.'_

"Well, just don't throw up on me."

Joey pretended not to have heard the remark and scarfed down the remainder of his food. _'Ah, that's what I'm talking about.'_ He spotted Kaiba standing a few feet away from him. "So Kaiba, when are we gonna find out who our opponents will be in the duels?"

Kaiba sighed and glanced at the blonde in a patronizing manner. "Can't you wait patiently like everyone else?" _'It seems as if this small fry of a duelist is rushing to his defeat, but if that's what he really wants to do, then who am I to stop him?'_ He pressed a call button on the collar of his trenchcoat. "Roland, make preparations for the duels to begin at once!"

"With all due respect, sir, there is still one duelist missing," said Roland, hoping he wouldn't piss off his boss.

"Never mind that. "

"Right, sir."

All of the duelists in the hall had been given their respective numbers. Kaiba was number one, Joey was number two, Yugi was number three, Mai was number four, Marik was number five, Bakura was number six, and Odion was number seven. Kaiba's other henchman knocked on the door of duelist number eight.

"You may enter," answered a woman's voice.

The henchman used the key to open the door, and spotted two women sitting down, facing each other. "What is it?" asked the tan skinned one.

"Your presence is requested in the dueling hall."

"You are about to select the finalists who will be participating in the first duel, correct?"

"Yes, Miss."

"Then I can assure you my presence will not be necessary," said Ishizu.

"Huh?" The henchman looked taken aback. Was the lady defying Kaiba?

"I do not want to reveal too much, but I will not be playing in this round, but the fourth round." _'I hope Pharaoh emerges victorious.'_

Kaiba's henchman wasn't sure what to say to that. He wasn't sure how she knew when her duel would take place, but if she were wrong, she could always hear the announcement from her room. He exited the room.

Keren glanced at Ishizu. "I am sure your millennium necklace is correct about when you will duel, but won't Mr. Kaiba be angry and disqualify you from the tournament for disobeying his order? He doesn't sound like someone who takes kindly to insubordination, based on what you have told me about him."

Ishizu gave a confident smile. "I can assure you he won't."

Keren learned a long time ago not to question the Egyptian's certainty about things, since her predictions about things had been true. "In that case, you will have extra time to prepare for your duel."

"Yes, I will do that." Although the necklace had predicted the outcome of Ishizu's duel, she thought some extra preparation would be wise, just in case. _'My necklace tells me the pharaoh will struggle in his battle with the evil spirit. I hope he triumphs in spite of the obstacles.'_

(duel hall)

The present finalists gathered around a large lottery machine that was shaped like a dragon. Inside the mouth of the machine were eight balls labeled with numbers one, two, three, four, five, six, seven and eight.

Vicki, who was feeling somewhat better after changing out of the wet clothing, rolled her eyes at Kaiba's obsession with dragons. _'Seriously, can't money-bags use another theme besides a dragon?'_

Joey looked at the machine, in awe. _'This looks like some sort of lottery machine. I guess rich boy is gonna use the game of chance to choose the duelists. Next time he makes fun of me for using luck in my duels, I'll remind him of this.'_ The blonde got a smug look on his face at the thought of throwing something back in Kaiba's face.

"Listen up, everyone, the duels will be chosen by lottery!" announced Mokuba.

'_Oh, I was right,'_ thought Joey.

'_So that's what the deal is with the big machine.'_ "I'm fighting the urge to yell out bingo," said Tristan jokingly.

"Go ahead. I could use a laugh," said Duke.

Roland pretended he didn't hear the back and forth between the two young men. "I will now select the duelists for the first matchup." He pressed a button to activate the machine. Everyone watched as the small balls were shuffled. The machine finally stopped and one of the balls landed. "Number six! Bakura!"

The white haired young man pointed to his chest, feigning innocent. "Me? I'm first?" He proceeded to laugh nervously…of course it was all a façade. _'You mortal fools will soon be destroyed!' _

The gang looked at him strangely, and had a bad feeling about his chuckling. "Is something wrong, Bakura?" asked Joey. _'Now I know something isn't right. Bakura needs to go to bed. There's no way he could have healed that fast.'_

"No, I'm just surprised I'm participating in the first duel, that's all."

Roland activated the machine to shuffle the balls once again. The onlookers watched to see who would be facing Bakura. The machine chose a ball with the number three on it. "Yugi Mutou!"

"Yay, Yuge, go kick some butt!" yelled Joey, pumping his fists. He let out a sigh of relief. _'I'm glad it's Yuge and not me.'_

"This should be fun." Bakura gave a dark smile. _'I will finally strip Yugi of his millennium puzzle. First I will take his Egyptian God card and deliver it to Marik in exchange for his millennium rod!' _

"Gentlemen, all duels will be held on the upper deck. The spectators are welcome to observe, but they must remain off the playing field."

"I'm totally cool with that!" Vicki, Tristan, Tèa, Joey, Duke and Mai crammed into one elevator. Yugi and Bakura took the one on the left.

'_I have to be prepared for anything,'_ thought Yugi. _'If it is the spirit of the millennium ring like I suspect, who knows what he will do in this duel?'_ He opted to look elsewhere as he could tell the friendliness Bakura showed was just a pretense.

* * *

Yami and Bakura took their places on the playing field. Yami folded his arms and exchanged a gaze with his opponent. The strong winds blew at his cape. He merely ignored the chilling feeling in his arms that was brought on by the gusty winds. "I must win this duel. The fate of the world depends on it," Yami muttered to himself.

Just then, Yugi's friends showed up, relieved to see they had not missed anything.

Serenity wrapped her arms around her chest, shivering from the cold. "It's freezing!" she complained, her teeth knocking.

'_Wow. It's a good thing I chose the outfit with the bolero jacket,'_ thought Vicki. Even so, she could still feel the chills cutting through the jacket sleeves and irritating her hip joints. _'Oh, I so hope I don't get even sicker.'_

"Oh, look," groaned Mai, as she spotted Kaiba and his younger brother coming and standing in a corner, just a few feet away. "Here comes the master of ceremonies now."

"I can't wait to hear what he has to say," Vicki muttered under her breath. _'Whatever it is, he had better make it quick. I'm ready for the duel to begin already.'_

"I'm just going to make a quick speech. The gusty winds act as a sword slicing the body. The pain will test your stamina. If you cannot bear it, you don't belong here," said Kaiba.

Vicki bristled with anger. _'Who in the world does he think he is? What are they, robots or something?'_

"I like this twist," said Tristan.

"Yeah, I have to admit, Kaiba sure does know how to throw a tournament, even if he is a rich snob," Duke agreed.

Vicki elbowed the raven haired young man hard in the ribs.

Groaning in pain, Duke rubbed his side. "What was that for?"

"Don't boost Kaiba's already overinflated ego!" Vicki hissed. "Whose side are you on?"

"Oh, sorry." _'Who knew being honest was such a problem with these guys?'_

"The first duel of the tournament will now begin!" Roland proclaimed, raising one arm in the air.

"Are you prepared to lose it all?" asked the evil spirit, still pretending to sound friendly.

Yami had become weary of the spirit's disguise. "You're not fooling anyone with your charade! I know you're the evil spirit of the millennium ring!"

Bakura gave an evil laugh as the millennium ring appeared around his neck and gave off a bright glow. Parts of his hair spiked up. "How right you are! However, you will not be able to stop me!"

Joey and Tèa groaned at the antagonistic exchange between the two gentlemen. _'Oh no, it's him again!'_ thought Joey.

"What on earth…?" Vicki mumbled.

"This can't be!" yelled Tristan. "He's wearing the millennium ring again. I thought I got rid of that thing in Duelist Kingdom."

'_All of the incessant rambling is giving me a migraine.' _ "So why all the fuss?" asked Marik, feigning cluelessness. "What's around Bakura's neck?"

"Namu…it's kind of complicated, but that's not really Bakura," explained Tèa.

Mai couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You lost me. So who is he?"

"You see, both Yugi and Bakura have old objects with magical powers. Yugi's item is good, and Bakura's item is bad," said Joey.

"Because there's an evil spirit that lives within the millennium ring," added Tèa.

Marik pretended to look shocked. "So you're telling me there's an evil spirit dueling against Yugi? That's so hard to believe."

"Yeah," Tèa agreed. "I didn't believe it at first either."

"I just hope he doesn't transport Yuge to the Shadow Realm again," said Joey, worried. "That's not a place you want to be."

Marik discreetly gave an evil grin. _'You naïve fools! You have no idea I am really Marik, and the evil spirit is working for me!'_

The dark spirit of the ring looked slightly annoyed at all the chattering going on, but decided to ignore it. "Anyway, let's begin this duel so I may destroy you once and for all!"

"First, tell me what is your purpose for joining the Battle City tournament. Have you come for all of the millennium items?"

"Perhaps," answered the dark spirit, giving an evil grin. _'This is so amusing. Yugi knows I want the millennium items, but he has no idea how I plan to obtain them.'_ "It is possible that I plan to take something else from you."

Yami was becoming annoyed with the spirit. "What are you talking about?"

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" Yami Bakura looked amused. "Well I will give you a hint. You are totally unaware of what is going on. There is so much being kept from you. For instance, how do you know I am working alone? And did you know one of the individuals you believe to be your friend is actually your greatest enemy?"

Yami looked skeptical. Of course there was a possibility he did not know everything that was going on, but he also knew the dark spirit was not to be trusted. "I do not think so. You achieve your goals through lies and deceit. However, they will not help you in this duel."

Marik used his rod to appear in the dark spirit's mind. "You are revealing too much information! Do I need to control your mind to keep you under submission?"

Yami Bakura knew what Marik was trying to say, and there was no way he would allow it. "If you could have defeated Yugi on your own, Marik, you would have done it by now!" He turned to face Yami.

"Just know, whatever it is you wish for, you will fail," warned Yami.

"Not quite. It is you who shall lose everything you have!"

"Enough talk! Let's duel!"

"That's the most intelligent thing you have said all evening!" Both the dark spirit and Yami activated their duel disks.

'_Finally,'_ thought Vicki, biting her nails. _'I was becoming tired of the nut job's ranting and raving.'_

'_Come on, Bakura. Show me your strength,'_ thought Kaiba.

"I will begin this duel!" The evil spirit of the ring drew a card and smiled. _'Excellent. This fool's destruction will occur sooner than I thought it would.'_ "I play the Portrait's Secret in attack mode!" (1200 attk). A picture frame with a scary-looking green head covered with a mop of black hair sticking out of it appeared. "For now, I shall end my turn. Attack me if you dare!"

'_He played such a weak monster in attack mode. That's not a smart move at all. Not to mention there are no face down cards to protect it.'_ So far, Yami was disappointed. He knew it was not like his archenemy to make such an amateurish move.

"I don't get it, guys," said Mai. "That monster is no challenge at all. "

"Could he be trying to lose this duel on purpose?" Vicki wondered. _'I should have known, after all that talk of destruction.'_

"Is that all you're capable of?" asked Yami. He drew his card. "I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode!" (1500 attk) The lion-like creature appeared on the field, growling. "Attack his portrait now!" The gazelle swiped at the monster, causing scratch marks to appear on the picture frame and destroying it. Bakura lost 300 lifepoints from the attack. "I'll set one card face down and end my turn. Now is your chance to try again."

"I do so with great pleasure." The dark spirit smiled as he drew his next card. "You are playing right into my hands, Yugi."

"How so?"

"You will soon find out. I summon the Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams in attack mode!" (1300 attk) A bed appeared onto the field and a brownish colored ghost came from beneath the sheets, making a scary face at all the spectators.

"Yeah! That's foul!" yelped Joey, making a frightened face.

"Foul is an understatement," said Vicki.

"A slight improvement, Bakura, but it is still no match for my gazelle, and with no magic and trap cards, you cannot stop my attack," said Yami.

"You should know that things are not always as they appear to be. I do not need magic or trap cards to lure you."

"We'll see." Yami frowned. _'I would say he's bluffing, but what if he really is setting a trap for me? I'll have to wipe out his lifepoints before he succeeds in implementing his strategy.'_ "I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in attack mode!" (1500 attk) The pink colored warrior materialized. "Gamma, attack his monster now!" The magnet warrior lunged at the ghost monster and delivered a powerful blow to it. The dark spirit lost 200 more lifepoints, bringing him down to thirty-five hundred. "Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, attack his lifepoints directly!" The lion-like creature swiped at the sinister spirit, taking 1500 lifepoints from the sinister spirit. He grunted in pain.

"Wow, he lost half his lifepoints and the duel just started!" said Tèa.

"Yeah, at this rate, the duel will be over soon," agreed Vicki. _'This duel is such a bore, it's pathetic. Even I can duel him and win.'_ It was all she could do not to give a fake yawn or fall asleep.

Marik gritted his teeth at the dark spirit's subpar performance thus far. _'What does that fool think he's doing? I want that Egyptian God card!'_

Yami Bakura laughed. "Yugi, I may have been going easy on you, but that is about to change right now."

"Let's see."

"As you wish," said the dark spirit, setting his new monster card onto the duel disk. "I summon my Headless Knight in attack mode!" (1450 attk). However, the monster had not appeared.

"I'm afraid I don't see your monster," said Yami.

"That's because he is a spirit that only appears when the time is right." Just like he said, the beheaded warrior was seen walking but appeared as a silhouette at first. With each step he took, his solidity increased until he was officially on the field.

"You may have summoned a stronger monster but it is still weaker than mine," the ancient pharaoh pointed out.

"Then why don't you attack it?" _'As soon as you do, you will have fallen into my trap.'_

'_If Yugi attacks, Bakura's strategy may work, but if he doesn't, he will lose the duel,'_ thought Kaiba. He still wasn't impressed by the dark spirit's dueling skills.

'_I have to continue with my strategy if I am to win this duel.'_ "It's my turn," said Yami. He drew a card. "Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack his Headless Knight now!" The Headless Knight groaned in pain as the magnet warrior struck it. The attack caused the dark spirit to lose 50 lifepoints. "Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, attack his lifepoints directly!" Yami Bakura was down to 450 lifepoints as a result of the direct attack.

"Something strange is going on here," said Tèa.

"Yeah, this seems too easy," Joey agreed.

"Or maybe Yugi is fighting the world's worst duelist," Tristan said bluntly.

"I know right? Even _I_ would stand a chance against him in a duel," said Vicki. Tèa and Serenity looked at her strangely, but didn't say anything.

"Either way, Yugi will win this duel in his next turn," said Mai. "He just needs a strong enough monster."

The dark spirit proceeded to laugh maniacally and his millennium ring glowed brightly. All the onlookers just stared at him as if he had lost it. _'He must have lost his mind,'_ thought Vicki.

"It's time," gloated the sinister spirit, his eyes twitching. "You have done exactly what I wanted you to do, Yugi. Now your destruction begins. It's over!"

"Over?!" Joey repeated incredulously. "Yeah, for him. Yugi has this clown set up like a balloon on a dart board!"

"It's a bluff. It has to be. He has no monsters left, and he's already down to less than 500 lifepoints," said Mai.

Kaiba had been unimpressed by how one-sided the duel was. _'There would be no point in bluffing now. Bakura must have a plan to turn the tables.'_

"Just what do you mean?" asked Yami. "I have destroyed every monster you summoned and I can win this duel with one more attack."

"You don't listen very well, do you?" The dark spirit smirked. "I am holding the card that will be the ticket to my victory and your demise. In order to play this card I needed 3 of my monsters to be destroyed and you did just that. Say hello to my ultimate destructor, Dark Necrofear!" (2200attk) He placed the card on the duel disk and a humanoid, bald, blue-skinned monster with elf-like ears and white eyes emerged. She was holding a baby in her arms. The baby's teeth started chattering.

Vicki shuddered. "She's making chills go down my spine."

"My monster has powers beyond your wildest imagination. It has a dark power waiting to activate and destroy you!" said the evil spirit. "I also place two cards face down. For now, I shall end my turn."

Kaiba looked slightly more impressed. _'This Dark Necrofear must be immensely powerful if Bakura was willing to risk losing the duel just to summon it. He has led Yugi through this duel like a dog on a leash. Let's see you get out of this, Yugi.'_

Yami frowned. _'That's strange. His Necrofear is much stronger than either of my monsters, so why didn't he attack? Is he trying to trap me? I will have to draw a monster card strong enough to wipe out the rest of his lifepoints or else he will succeed.'_

"Why are you stalling, Yugi?" asked the diabolical spirit of the ring. "Make your move."

"When I'm ready! You were foolish enough to not attack me when you have the chance, and now you shall pay the price!" Yami drew a card and smiled. _'Perfect. This monster will have enough attack points to destroy his Dark Necrofear and most of his remaining lifepoints with the help of my face down card.'_ "I sacrifice my Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in order to summon Dark Magician Girl!" (2000 attk) The female spellcaster appeared onto the field, sighing and twirling her staff.

The dark spirit laughed at what appeared to be his opponent's miscalculation. "Fool! Your magical warrior is no match for my Necrofear!"

"That's true, but it appears you have forgotten about my face down card. It looks like _you're _the fool!" retorted the ancient pharaoh. "Behold my Magic Formula card!" Yami switched the set card to face up position.

The dark spirit's eyes widened. "No!"

"Yes! Magic Formula raises my monster's attack strength by 500 points!" The female magician held the magic spell book in her hands and flipped through its pages. She now had 2500 attack points.

"All right, atta boy!" cheered Joey. "Put that big creep six feet under!"

"Dark Magician Girl, attack his Necrofear with Dark Burning Attack!" The magician emitted a burst of dark power from her scepter, causing the monster to dissolve into nothingness and draining 300 more of the spirit's lifepoints. He was now at one fifty.

But the dark spirit of the ring only laughed. "Thank you. Once again, you've done exactly what I wanted you to do. Prepare for your ultimate destruction!"

"Good grief," muttered Vicki. "He must be talking about himself."

"Bakura, just go!" Yami was becoming weary of the spirit's gloating.

"Very well. By destroying Dark Necrofear, you have allowed me to play this!" The dark spirit placed a card in the side slot of his duel disk. A thick black fog surrounded the blimp and a bunch of eyes started to open. "Behold the magic of Dark Sanctuary!" said the dark spirit.

Yami looked bewildered. "What's going on?"

"It's the evil eyes!" wailed Joey.

Serenity shivered and huddled against her big brother. "I don't like this!"

"That's it, no more B horror movies for a long time!" As scary as this was for Vicki, she was glad that she would have something out of the ordinary to tell her best friend back home about. _'Cassidy won't believe I found something creepier than her superstitions. '_

"I should thank you, Yugi."

"And why is that?"

"Because in order for me to play this all powerful card, certain moves needed to be made, and you played your part perfectly! Dark Sanctuary has powers you have never seen before!"

Yami grunted. _'This is bad. I have to find some way to overcome this, or who knows what will happen.' _


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

* * *

Yami grimly looked at the darkness surrounding the playing field, not entirely sure what to make of it. He was aware of the fact that while he might still have all of his lifepoints intact, it might not last too much longer. _'If Bakura was willing to sacrifice Dark Necrofear to play this card, its powers must be as immense as he says they are. I must do something before I feel the wrath of Dark Sanctuary.'_

The dark spirit laughed at how helpless his greatest adversary looked. "Yugi you fool! Thanks to my Dark Sanctuary magic card, your chances of defeating me have decreased immensely! This dark magic will leave you in a state of constant fear and destroy you!"

'_I have to remain strong under the circumstances.' _Yami changed his grim expression into a more nonchalant one. He didn't want his foe to think he had lost confidence or was thinking of giving up. "It is you who should be afraid. Your lifepoints are low and you have no monsters on the field to protect you!"

"Ha! That does not worry me in the least! I have the ghost of Dark Sanctuary protecting me. Your monsters can no longer damage my lifepoints! Therefore, my supernatural deck is invincible!" _'He will be so surprised when he sees that my ghost has possessed his monster.'_

'_I have a bad feeling he is right. However, I must take a chance and strike. If I learn all of the abilities of Dark Sanctuary, I may be able to find a way to destroy it.'_ "We'll see how powerful your Dark Sanctuary magic card really is! Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack his lifepoints directly!" The magnet warrior lunged at the dark spirit, preparing to strike, but whilst it was attacking, a ghost came out of it and headed towards Yami. He grunted as it passed through him and drained his energy.

"As you were saying?" the dark spirit taunted.

Yami glowered at the evil spirit. "Explain what just happened right now!" he ordered.

The dark spirit smiled at his opponent's indignation. "It is quite simple. The magic of Dark Sanctuary allows me to possess any monster I choose and block your direct attacks, and I have chosen your magnet warrior!"

"It's possessed?" Yami repeated incredulously.

"Yes, and there's more! Say goodbye to 750 of your lifepoints! Not to worry, though, they will not go to waste!" Yami watched grimly as his lifepoints were reduced to 3250 and the sinister spirit's lifepoints rose to nine hundred.

"Now that you know what you're up against, the wise thing to do is surrender before you suffer even more!" said the dark spirit. "You're finished!"

"Don't be too sure! Your lifepoints are still minimal!"

The evil spirit laughed again as he drew his card. "You are more foolish than I thought! Possessing your monsters is one of many abilities my Dark Sanctuary has! For my turn, I play Destiny Board!" An Ouija board with a bunch of letters on it appeared on the field, hovering in midair.

"Destiny Board?" asked Yami. "What does it do? Answer me!"

"I've seen one of those at a haunted house," commented Duke.

Vicki gave a groan of annoyance at what the duel was panning itself out to be. "Yes, and I thought this was supposed to be a duel, not some horror film or haunted house." _'I hope Yugi hurries up and defeats him...I am so sick of this!'_

Joey's eyes bugged out in fear at the Ouija board. He never liked overly spooky stuff. "Man this stuff is even creepier than the dark magic!" he wailed.

Serenity felt slightly scared, but she was trying to hide her fear. "Isn't this just a game?"

"Let's hope so," answered Tèa. It took everything she had to hold back a shiver from both the breeze and the ghosts.

Kaiba rolled his eyes at all the freaking out going on. _'Bakura has proven himself to be an impressive duelist. However, if Yugi loses to him, I won't forgive him.'_

"I'll ask you again, what does your magic card do?" asked Yami.

The dark spirit gave an amused look at Yami's impatience. "It is simply a countdown to your destruction as it allows me to communicate with the Shadow Realm in order to spell out a message for you, which means in 5 turns you will be history!"

"Your ghosts do not frighten me! I can assure you I will defeat you before the five turns are over!" vowed Yami.

"You're such a naïve fool," the dark spirit said with a laugh. "My card is more powerful than you think! Watch and see!" Just then, the arrow slid across the board, onto the letter F. "The first letter is F."

Yami looked bewildered. "What is it going to spell out?"

"You will just have to see, won't you? I play the card, Dark Door, which limits the attacks from your monsters to just one per turn! Next, I play the card Earthbound Spirit, and I'll sacrifice it to keep Dark Sanctuary in play. I'll end my turn by setting a trap card face down. Now make your move if you think you can!" The spirit smiled as he watched the wandering ghost travel into Dark Magician Girl.

"Don't mind if I do!"

"Come on, Yugi!" cheered Tèa.

"Hang in there!" Tristan belted out.

"Yeah, you have what it takes to end this!" chimed Vicki.

Serenity, worried, turned to face her brother. "Joey? You think Yugi can still win this?"

Joey looked at his sister. He could see how scared she was, and he couldn't say he blamed her. "Yeah. Yugi will pull through. It might be hard, but it takes much more than this to keep my pal down!"

"I hope so," said Serenity wistfully. Although she didn't know Yugi very well yet, he was her brother's best friend and anyone who was a friend of his was also her friend, so she wished the spiky haired teen success.

"Me too, sis." _'This horror show is giving me the willies. I can definitely see how he was able to beat Bonz now.'_

Yami drew his card and looked thoughtful. _'Kuriboh…he's too weak to attack with and I really need to plan my moves methodically if I am to win this duel. But that will be hard knowing I can only attack once per turn and his face down card could mean that he has set a trap for me. Since Gamma the Magnet Warrior is possessed, I can't attack with him.'_ "I play Kuriboh in defense mode! Dark Magician Girl, attack!" As the female spellcaster prepared to emit the burst of dark magic from her scepter, a ghost came out of her and passed through the ancient pharaoh's body, causing him to groan in pain.

"As you can see, I can choose a different monster to possess each turn," said the tomb robber, laughing. "I am sure you know what happens next."

"I lose half of the monster's attack points and you gain them."

"That's right, so say goodbye to 1250 lifepoints!" Yami's lifepoints decreased to 2000 whereas the evil spirit's lifepoints increased to twenty one fifty.

'_Oh no,'_ thought Yami with a grim expression on his face. _'Now I have lost half of my lifepoints.'_

"And there's more," continued the dark spirit. "It's time for the second letter on the Destiny Board to be revealed! And the second letter is, I."

"F, I," spelled out Serenity.

"Time is running out, Yugi. Only three more turns before your inevitable destruction," the dark spirit reminded Yami.

The ancient spirit of the millennium puzzle had been trying to find the drawback in his opponent's strategy and now saw the answer in front of him. "Wait!"

"Yes?" The nefarious tomb robber was curious to hear what his foe wanted to know.

"You have been so sure that your strategy was foolproof, but it has a glaring flaw. We are only allowed to have 5 magic or trap cards in play, and you have nearly used up all of the slots on your duel disk, which means you cannot play the final letter."

The dark spirit laughed. "Very observant of you to figure out the weakness. However, that rule does not apply for me this time. With Dark Sanctuary in play, I can use up to double the amount of slots on my duel disk."

Yami lowered his eyes. "It can't be!"

"It is! So you see Yugi, you cannot stop me!"

"If Yugi doesn't do something soon, he will lose the duel," stated Duke.

"Hey, quit being so pessimistic before I throw you overboard!" snapped Tristan, grabbing the ebony-haired young man by the collar of his shirt.

"Okay, okay, let me go. You're suffocating me."

"Humph." Tristan released his hold on Duke.

Mai was surprised at how formidable a duelist the sinister spirit had proven to be after playing so poorly before, but she knew of her friend's ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. "If Yugi can figure out which one of his monsters is possessed by the ghost, he will be able to launch an attack. I still think he has a chance to win this duel, but he can't keep losing lifepoints."

Serenity was even more worried than before. "Joey? Do you agree that Yugi still has a chance?"

"You bet I do! Knowing him, I'm sure he's thinking of a way to turn this duel around as we speak."

The dark spirit gave a huffy laugh. He had been tempted to knock Yugi's friends unconscious to silence them, but decided not to. _'Those fools are sadly mistaken. Yugi will never counter my strategy and soon his millennium puzzle will be mine!'_ "I play Sangan in attack mode!" (1500 attk) An orange gremlin with a wicked grin appeared. "I sacrifice my Sangan in order to keep Dark Sanctuary in play for this turn. I also activate its special ability, which allows me to draw one card." He drew a card and looked delighted with his draw. "I shall end my turn. It is only a matter of time before you lose everything!"

"Not likely! I will defeat you if it's the last thing I do! It's my turn now!" Yami drew a card. _'Big Shield Gardna…he is too weak for me to attack with, and if I am to win this duel, I have to go on the offense. But choosing the wrong monster to attack with will be very costly.'_

The dark spirit gave an evil grin as he eyed Yami's deep in thought expression. _'Which monster shall I choose to possess this time? I know. I will choose Dark Magician girl, for if Yugi chooses to attack with it, I will be that much closer to winning this duel.' _The ghost wandered the field and travelled into the female magician. She groaned softly. _'He never would have guessed that I would choose Dark Magician twice in a row.'_

Yami eyed the monsters on his side of the field. _'All right, which monster should I attack with? I know Big Shield Gardna was not possessed because I just drew it. He may have possessed Kuriboh, but it is too weak for me to attack with anyway. I cannot afford another attack like the last one. There is one monster that can help put an end to all of this, but the problem is, it is not in my hand.'_ He quickly skimmed the cards in his hand. _'Wait! Card Destruction! Perhaps that card can help! The fate of the duel is riding on it.'_ "I play Card Destruction! This requires us to discard the cards in our hands and draw that many new cards!"

The dark spirit looked disgusted. "What are you up to?"

"You'll see soon enough. Now discard your hand."

"Very well. Not that it makes a difference." The dark spirit sent all of the cards he was holding to the graveyard and drew his new cards. "You must be desperate to have made that move."

"Far from it. " Yami discarded the cards as well, and drew four new cards. As he had drawn them, he felt a strong force. _'I can feel it. I drew my Egyptian God card. I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to playing the card, but it is the only way I can definitely win this duel.' _"Prepare to experience a force like no other!"

The eyes of the dark spirit and all the observers popped open at Yami's words, for they knew it meant he had a big plan to turn the duel around.

'_Looks like Yugi is about to play his Egyptian God card,'_ thought Kaiba, a tiny smile forming on his face. _'He is even smarter than I thought. Let's see if he can control it.'_

The force was so strong that the diabolical spirit gave a shout of pain. Yami raised his arm in the air that held the card. "I sacrifice Dark Magician Girl, Gamma the Magnet Warrior, and Kuriboh in order to summon the almighty Slifer the Sky Dragon!" The weaker monsters disappeared and the clouds started crackling with lightning as the spirit of the ancient pharaoh placed the card on the duel disk. The large red colored serpent shaped dragon materialized and wrapped around the blimp, exhaling a mist in Yami Bakura's direction.

All the spectators looked at the creature in awe. Most of them had never seen anything like it.

"That's Slifer the Sky Dragon….?" Mai couldn't help but feel slightly jealous that Yugi had such a powerful monster in his possession.

"What is that?" asked Serenity.

"It must be one of those Egyptian God cards that rare hunter was rambling about," answered Joey. Just thinking of the rare hunter made his blood boil. _'I gotta say, I'm glad Yuge won such a powerful card from that Marik creep.'_ He was also nervous about having to contend with the beast if he faced Yugi in the finals.

"This is so awesome," Mokuba told his big brother. "Yugi will win the duel for sure now."

"Yes, it is all over for Bakura now. Yugi has proven to be a powerful duelist." _'And soon the card will be mine.'_

* * *

Ishizu peered outside the window of her room, pleased to know the pharaoh did not have to struggle too much. _'Slifer the Sky Dragon has been played by the pharaoh just like my millennium necklace told me it would. All three Egyptian God cards are on this ship and my brother must not obtain them. The only one with the power to stop Marik is the pharaoh himself.'_

Keren looked up from the book she had been reading and spotted the dragon. "Wow, what a magnificent creature."

"Yes. It is the pharaoh's duty to prevent the God cards from falling into the wrong hands."

"I know he can." Keren was so happy she was in the safety of the bedroom as she was certain there had been lightning when the beast was summoned. It brought back memories of the time when the weaker rare hunters were testing the copies of the Winged Dragon of Ra and got struck with the lightning bolts. _'I am sure that won't happen to the pharaoh, though.'_

(dueling arena)

For the first time during the duel, the dark spirit was practically shaking in his boots and couldn't keep from sweating. "This is the card Marik desires. But how can I defeat this all powerful beast? I was so close!"

Marik had decided not to say anything about his ally's subpar dueling before, since he had managed to pick up the pace. _'I knew I should have taken control over his mind.' _Disgusted at the appearance of Slifer, the Egyptian appeared in the evil spirit's mind.

_Yami Bakura wasn't too pleased to see Marik. "What do you want?" he asked rudely. _

_Marik ignored the evil spirit's hostile tone. 'His inability to heed helpful advice will be his undoing.' "It appears the pharaoh has outsmarted you once again."_

_The diabolical tomb robber grunted. Surely Marik didn't come just to tell him the obvious. "Look, unless you have come to tell me something worthwhile, get lost!"_

"_Calm yourself," said the cornsilk haired young man. "You are facing a monster with powers that are virtually infinite. In order to defeat it, you will need me."_

_As much as the dark spirit hated to admit it, Marik was right. He had no idea how to defeat a monster that strong. He sighed. "Go on."_

"_The attack strength of Slifer the Sky Dragon is determined by how many cards the pharaoh is holding," explained the tombkeeper. "Since he is holding three cards, that makes its attack power three thousand."_

"_Thank you for that piece of information. However, I will defeat the monster in my own way."_

The dark spirit turned to face Yami with an evil grin on his face. "Yugi, you may have summoned your most powerful creature, but that does not guarantee your victory. Remember, my Dark Sanctuary is still wandering the playing field."

"I am aware of that." Yami watched calmly as the ghost travelled towards the large dragon. The ghost dissipated as it hit the monster.

The dark spirit looked stunned at what just happened. "What is this? My ghost had no effect!"

Marik appeared in Yami Bakura's mind once again. _"Magic cards are useless on Egyptian God cards. You have a lot to learn about the powers of an Egyptian God."_

The horrible realization hit the dark spirit that he was now trapped and there was no possible way he would be come up with another strategy. _'It is all over for me. I have no cards in my hand or monsters on the field to protect me. Dark Sanctuary was my only hope but Slifer has rendered it useless. I have my face down card but it will be of no use to me.'_ "I can't lose! There's too much at stake for me! I must win this duel!"

"You won't win!" said Yami. "This duel is over!"

"Yeah, nice going, Yuge!" yelled Joey. He clenched a fist and shook it at the evil spirit. "Get ready Bakura, you're toast!"

The dark spirit clenched his teeth and started to squirm and sweat.

"_It's not over yet, you fool!" said Marik. "I have a plan to win this duel!" He was not going to accept defeat. He wanted the Egyptian God card and he was going to have it._

"_What is it?" snapped the evil spirit. He hoped it was a good plan as he knew all too well Marik's track record against the spirit of the millennium puzzle._

'_This is it,'_ thought Yami. _'I will win the duel once I call out an attack.'_ "Go, Slifer the Sky Dragon! Attack his lifepoints with—"he stopped in midsentence. _'I sense something.'_ What he sensed was another sinister force. He looked up and saw the tall caped tanned skinned man from earlier. The man was walking towards him, carrying the millennium rod. _'It's Marik…what does he want?'_ He wondered why the Egyptian would appear now of all times and had a very bad feeling about his presence.

"I would advise you to wait before attacking with Slifer the Sky Dragon," said Odion in a dark tone.

Yami gave the tall man a hard look. He didn't appreciate his duel being interrupted one bit. "What do you want, Marik?"

"Hey, you wanna mess with someone, mess with me, you prick!" Joey cracked his knuckles and was about to rush forward and beat up Odion, but Tristan and Duke grabbed a hold of him before he could go too far.

"Joey, calm down, dude!" said Duke.

"I don't think you wanna mess with him, man!" added Tristan.

The real Marik gave an evil smirk. _'They think he's me. Crushing the fools will be simple.'_

Mokuba glared at Odion. "Hey, what do you think you're doing? You can't just interrupt someone's duel!"

Odion simply ignored the little boy. He could very well grab him and throw him overboard, but that was not what he had come for.

"What is it?" pressed Yami.

"Listen carefully. Bakura is under the control of my millennium rod, and he will only do what I command him to do," said Odion, holding up the gold colored item.

"But how can that be?" questioned the ancient spirit of the pharaoh. He was unsure about whether he should believe his adversary or not. "I thought the evil spirit of the ring was in control."

Odion cracked a smile at the skepticism Yami showed. "I am controlling both of them. Now watch as I prove it by freeing your friend's mind."

"_Just what do you think you're doing, Marik?" the dark spirit demanded to know. Marik was really trying his patience with the beating around the bush thing._

"_The only way to win this duel is to release the control of your weak half," said the cornsilk blonde young man._

"_Why should I?" asked the evil spirit. _

"_Your opponent wouldn't destroy his friend."_

_As much as Yami Bakura hated to take orders, he thought Marik made sense. "Fine." _ Yugi's friends gasped as the dark spirit released control of the young man, leaving in place the severely wounded Bakura. He fell to his knees, clutching his left arm. "My arm…it hurts…" he mumbled. It was bothering him even more than he remembered, which worried him.

Instantly, Yami's eyes filled with concern for his injured friend. All thoughts of winning disappeared from his mind. "Bakura!"

"Are you okay?" Tèa called from the sidelines.

Vicki clicked her tongue. _'Poor laddie. I imagine those direct attacks must have taken quite a toll on him.'_ She thought he was lucky his dark half was in control of him for most of the duel to take the damage, otherwise her classmate would have possibly died. _'He should have stayed in bed.'_

"Yugi help me! I don't know where I am. Why am I dueling?" Bakura pushed back the shirt sleeve on his bandaged arm and frowned at the blood on it. "How did I get this wound on my arm?"

"It is him," acknowledged Yami in a low voice.

"As you can see, Yugi, Bakura is badly hurt," stated Odion. "Without the evil spirit sustaining him, he is weak. The devastation caused by your Egyptian God monster will make your friend's condition even worse. Would you risk the health of your friend?"

Yami caught on to the plan and it came as no surprise to him. It also brought back the memory of his duel against Kaiba and how the CEO had threatened to commit suicide if he attacked the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. "Only a coward would do something like this to win a duel!"

"That's a cheap trick, _Marik!_" Joey spat.

"Bakura, hang on!" yelled Tristan.

'_Well done, Odion,' _thought Marik, smirking. _'He will never attack his pathetic defenseless friend now.'_

Odion proceeded to leave the arena. _'Master Marik knows what is best. I must obey his commands, even if it costs me the love and respect from Keren.'_

Bakura hunched over in pain. "I don't feel very well." Besides his arm hurting, he felt nauseated and faint. It was almost as if he would pass out any minute.

"Bakura!" Yami started to run to his friend to help him.

"Stop right there!" barked Roland in an authoritative tone. "You're not allowed to touch your opponent in a duel! Take one more step and you'll be disqualified!"

Yami froze in his tracks and grunted. _'I have to help Bakura, but if I do, I will be kicked out of the finals!'_

Yugi's friends looked at the henchman with disapproval. They couldn't understand how he could be so cold-hearted about Bakura's current condition.

"Stop the duel right now!" ordered Tèa.

"Bakura needs to see a doctor right away!" said Tristan._ 'If he dies, there will be hell to pay.'_

"Yeah, wake up!" added Vicki. "You're so concerned about rules for a frivolous tournament yet one of your participants could die! Could you live with yourself if that happened?"

"Vicki…" Mai wasn't expecting such vehemence, but she agreed with the brunette's words.

Roland was speechless. No teenager had ever chastised him before, with the exception of his boss. He understood her concern, but felt it was more important to enforce the rules his boss had set.

Marik looked on, smiling about what he had just accomplished. _'This is the perfect plan. With Bakura in need of medical attention, Yami will lose the duel and his Egyptian God card.'_ He shot a quick glance at the Scottish girl. He was oddly turned on by her brashness. _'Too bad your words will make no difference.'_

"If you don't continue to duel, you will forfeit the match," warned the referee.

"Yugi, help!" begged the white haired young man.

Yami clenched his teeth and fists, struggling to make a decision. _'If I attack Bakura to win this duel, he will be hurt even more severely, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened. But if I don't make my move, I will be disqualified from the finals.'_ The ancient spirit suddenly felt anger...anger at Marik for daring to threaten him with Bakura's life.

"Yugi, what's the matter with you?" asked Kaiba, getting frustrated with his rival. "Hurry up and make your final move!" He failed to understand how sometimes his rival allowed his soft emotions to get in the way of making much needed choices. Plus, he wanted Yugi to advance so he could face him.

"I offer you a second warning," said Roland. "Make your move if you want to continue in the finals."

Joey had enough of the henchman's heartless attitude. He climbed on top of the deck. "Chill out, man! Can't you see the poor guy is injured?! Come on! What kind of show are you guys running here?"

"Joey, don't do it!" warned Duke and Tristan, coming up behind the blonde. They were afraid his temper would get the better of him and he would get in trouble.

"You be quiet!" ordered Roland. "This does not concern you! If you don't get down from there, you will also be disqualified!"

No way was Joey going to listen to that. "What?! Are you kidding me? If I come down there, Bakura will not be the only one needing medical attention, you will—aaaaah!" Duke and Tristan pulled Joey off the deck before he could finish his threat.

"Please, someone help me," Bakura weakly pleaded. "I don't feel well at all. I must lie down and get some rest. Please."

Roland decided to pretend Joey's tirade didn't happen. He turned to the spiky haired young man. "Continue to duel now."

"Hurry up, Yugi!" urged Kaiba.

A silhouette of Yugi appeared. He realized Kaiba and his henchman were becoming impatient with him, but he was deathly afraid he would do something he would regret later. His fists started trembling. _'I have to make a decision. Do I risk Bakura's health to save the world?'_ He shook his head. _'No, I just can't do that. I can only hope the evil spirit comes back to duel in time.'_

The evil spirit appeared to Marik and watched his foe wrestle within himself to make the correct choice. _"We're about to win this duel. Yugi would never attack his friend Bakura."_

"_That's true, but Yami might, if he wants to win the duel at all costs," said Marik. _

"_You are right, and that's a risk I cannot take." The sinister spirit turned to face his ally. "Your plan to win the duel is quite devious indeed. You are quite clever. However, I do not participate in foul play. I have my own method of winning my battles. Get lost!" He zapped the silhouette of Marik away, making him scream in surprise."_ Bakura's dark side took over once again, giving him the strength to stand up once again. He grinned evilly. "I'm back."

Yami's expression was mixed with relief and indignation. "It's you."

The dark spirit laughed. "That's right. I suspect you may attack your friend to win the duel and I can't risk his health! I still need him. So if you intend to use your Egyptian God monster to attack, why don't you use it on me right now?"

Yami hesitated, just in case the spirit was just testing him.

"Come on, Yugi!" challenged the tomb robber.

Yami made up his mind. "All right! Now, go, Slifer the Sky Dragon! Attack!" The lengthy dragon shot a thunderbolt out of its mouth. The dark spirit gave an evil laugh as he took the brunt of the attack and the remainder of his lifepoints dropped to zero. "You may have defeated me this time Yugi, but one day I will bury you in the darkness!" The force of the attack blew his millennium ring away, and with that, he disappeared, revealing his hikari once again. The young man lay down on the field, exhausted and in pain.

Roland raised an arm and declared, "The winner is duelist number 3, Yugi Mutou!"

"Yeah!" cheered Joey. He was so relieved the whole thing was over. "Now lower that arena and get them down here!"

Roland did so, and Yami and his friends rushed over to Bakura. Yami held up the barely conscious Bakura. The young man slowly opened his eyes. "Where am I?" he faintly asked.

"You're with your friends, now, Bakura," answered the spirit of the pharaoh.

Serenity looked worried for Bakura. "He's still bleeding." Although she didn't know Bakura very well yet, it always upset her when people were hurt.

"Yeah, he needs therapy and rest," said Tristan. "Put him on my back."

Duke and Joey lifted Bakura and placed him on Tristan's back. Tristan pulled his friend securely on his back by holding him by his knees and carried him off the playing field, to his room.

Yugi's silhouette appeared next to Yami. _'I'm glad Bakura will make it. That was one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make. If the spirit didn't come back to duel, I don't know what I would have done. Although the spirit of the ring is evil and controls Bakura against his will, he appears to have the same mission of protecting the host as the spirit of my puzzle does.'_

_Yugi turned to his alter-ego. "There is one main difference between the spirit of the ring and you, Yami."_

_Yami gave a curious look. "What's that?"_

"_You may protect me the way the dark spirit has to protect Bakura, but I want to help you because I consider you to be my friend. I feel we both help each other in times of need."_

_Yami looked at his hikari, amazed. He never heard him outwardly admit friendship between them before, but it made his heart feel warm. _

"_You have been there for me ever since I completed the millennium puzzle, and I want to repay you by helping you save the world from destruction and regain your long lost memories." _

"_Thank you." The ancient pharaoh knew he was quite fortunate to have found a friend in his weaker half. _

"_I believe our battle has just begun and will become even tougher, but we will be able to prevail with the help of our friends and the Heart of the Cards. There's no way we can lose with such a strong support system."_

"_You're right! Nothing will get in the way of our destiny!"_

"_Awesome! Now take a rest from our duel." Yugi exchanged a high five with his counterpart and regained control._

Yugi realized his friends must have already left, and started to leave so he could check on his ailing friend.

"Yugi, wait!" Roland called after the teen.

Yugi stopped and turned around to see what the henchman wanted.

"As the winner of the duel, you are entitled to take a rare card from your opponent's deck. "

Yugi gave this some thought, but didn't feel right about taking advantage of the ante rule. "No way. It's unfortunate enough that Bakura is badly injured. He doesn't need this, too." He left the arena.

Mokuba watched as Yugi left. "That was an awesome duel. I knew Yugi would win."

Kaiba looked slightly uncomfortable at such confidence in his rival. "Bakura has proven to be a formidable duelist, worthy of being Yugi's opponent." _'Wait for me, Yugi. I will beat you down in the finals.'_

* * *

Yugi met the gang crowding around Bakura, who was resting peacefully in his bed. He stood on the opposite side of the bed so he would be facing his friends and able to watch over Bakura at the same time. "How is he?" the tri-color haired teen asked.

"His arm has stopped bleeding, which is a good thing," answered Duke. "However, he needs lots of rest. We need to talk to Kaiba so he could land this blimp and take him to the hospital for proper treatment."

"Some crazy stuff went down in the duel when Marik showed up," said Joey. "What happened up there?"

"For some reason, Marik didn't want the evil spirit to lose the duel, so I suspect he talked him into releasing control over the real Bakura. Since he had been injured, Marik knew I wouldn't attack him. But the dark spirit must have been afraid I would attack, because at the last minute he appeared again."

Joey's eyes widened. A villain letting a hero win? He had never heard of such a thing happening before. "You mean to tell me the evil spirit let you win?"

"Yes, because he depends on Bakura to survive."

Joey had found it so hard to watch his best friend struggle to decide whether to attack or not so it had been a relief when the spirit reappeared. But he was sure Bakura took some of the impact, judging from his condition. "I'm afraid I don't completely follow. Even though the evil spirit came back to duel, you still ended up attacking the real Bakura."

"No," explained Yugi calmly. "Since the evil spirit was in control of Bakura when I attacked him, the real Bakura was spared."

"I don't know if this sounds weird to you guys, but it seems to me Marik and the evil spirit were in this duel together."

"No, it's not weird at all," said Yugi. "I got that impression when Marik threatened me with Bakura's life."

Joey gritted his teeth thinking about the Egyptian's stunt he pulled in an attempt to prevent Yugi from winning. "I'm gonna tear that Marik to pieces one day!" He started shaking with anger.

"Joey, I know how you feel, but just calm down," said Serenity.

Vicki mockingly rubbed her forehead. Just hearing Marik's name gave her a headache. "Enough about Marik. Let's find Kaiba and see if he is willing to land this blimp." _'I'm sure getting him to help us will be like pulling teeth, if he is anything like his goons.'_

"You're right. Let's go." Tristan got up from Bakura's bedside. Everyone but Tèa followed him.

Vicki and the others briefly turned back as they noticed Tèa had not followed. "What's up, Tèa? Aren't you coming?" asked Vicki.

"No it's all right," answered the aspiring dancer. "I'll just stay here and watch Bakura. You guys can go ahead. We don't all need to go. "

"I guess that's true. Well you watch over him then. I am sure he will be in very good hands." Tristan, Duke, Serenity, and Vicki turned to leave. Yugi let out a gasp.

"Hey Yuge, what's wrong?" asked Joey.

"The millennium ring…it's gone," answered the spiky haired teen.

Tristan rolled his eyes. "That doesn't surprise me in the least...the thing seems to have a mind of its own."

"Oh I'm sure your Egyptian God monster blasted it sky high," suggested Joey. "We can look for it later. We have more important things to do like getting help for Bakura."

"All right." Yugi followed his friends out of the room.

All of a sudden, Tèa heard sinister laughter, her eyes went blank and the millennium ring appeared in her hand. She gave a soft evil chuckle.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

* * *

"_Attention all duelists, our first duel of the finals is now complete! There will be a twenty minute break before the second duel! Afterwards, please return to the dueling hall for the choosing of the duelists for the second match!" _ Roland announced over the PA system.

All of the finalists heard the announcement. Mai chose to use that time to go over the strategy for her duel so she would be ready regardless of when it would occur and who she would face. Odion and Ishizu sat in their rooms, meditating. Marik was sitting in a chair, stirring the ice cubes around in his drink with his finger. He chuckled to himself as he thought of how Ishizu would react if she saw him doing that. He could just hear her saying, _'Marik, don't play with your food or drink' _in her motherly voice. _'It will be interesting if sister and I cross paths in the finals. It has been such a long time.'_ He still had love for the older woman even though he was too caught up in his scheme to show it.

"Well twenty minutes is more than enough time to talk to Kaiba and get him to land this blimp," commented Joey, whilst he walked through the halls with his friends to find Kaiba's room. _'Hopefully I'll have time to eat a quick snack before Duke and Tristan eat everything.'_ He was still a bit sore about how they just crashed his room and interrupted the quality time with his sister, but there were no spare rooms for the spectators, so he had been forced to let them stay.

Just then, Mokuba entered the hall. He looked shocked to see Yugi and his friends there. "Hey, what are you guys doing in this area? It is off-limits."

Yugi noted the firm expression on the young boy's face. "We have to speak to your brother. It is important," he responded, speaking for himself and the others.

Mokuba's expression softened a bit. "That's his room," he answered, pointing out the door which was labeled number one. "However, he will not be thrilled to see you, so whatever you have come to see him for, make it quick."

Joey pretended he didn't hear the warning, rushed forward and started banging on the door. "Open up this door, Kaiba! I know you're in there and can hear me!"

Mokuba was absolutely appalled at the blonde's rudeness. He started flailing his arms. "What do you think you're doing? You can't disturb my brother while he's trying to prepare for a duel! Stop it!"

Joey simply ignored the little boy's protests and kept knocking until all of a sudden, the door opened and there stood Kaiba, staring him down. Joey was about to knock one more time, but he realized the ruthless businessman was standing there and he almost hit him. He knew it would not be a good idea even though he honestly felt like doing so at times.

Kaiba sneered at Joey. _'What a goof…how could he have made it this far?' _"You're such an amateur duelist, Wheeler. Do you not know the importance of preparing for a duel?"

Joey began to see red. Kaiba was always acting like a snob towards him. "What did you just say?!" He rushed forward to beat up the CEO for real, but Tristan held him back.

"Now is not the time to be arguing, so just calm yourself, man," said the pointy haired young man.

"Kaiba, we need your help," said Yugi earnestly.

Kaiba looked at his rival. "Yugi…" He was only slightly more pleased to see him than he was to see the others, but could sense a child-like spirit in him where he couldn't get very angry. "What is it now?" He didn't know why, but he stepped to the side so Yugi and his friends could enter. They thought it was strange since he had terrible people skills most of the time, but they took him up on his offer and entered. Even so, they felt uncomfortable in his presence.

'_What's this? Money bags is actually displaying manners?' _thought Vicki as she walked into his room. She had believed Joey had overdone it in his way of getting Kaiba to open the door, but had to stifle a giggle when the blonde nearly punched him.

Kaiba gave Yugi a look that said to start talking and make it quick.

"Bakura is hurt," the spiky haired teen explained. "He needs medical care right away or else he will get worse. Would it be possible for you to land the ship and take him to a hospital during our break?"

Kaiba frowned slightly at the request as he sat down. "You want me to stop the ship?"

Yugi nodded."Bakura desperately needs help. He has been unconscious since the duel ended."

"We temporarily stopped the bleeding but that won't last," said Tristan.

"He had left the hospital before he should have," said Joey, having calmed down some.

"Well if he was foolish enough to leave the hospital before he had fully recovered, it is not my concern," said the CEO coolly.

It broke Serenity's heart that Kaiba was being so cold when she knew he could have a warm heart when he wanted. "Please, Kaiba, if you don't land the ship, Bakura could die!"

"Huh?" The former world dueling champion glanced up at Serenity and felt his heart soften a bit. _'Such innocence.'_ The innocence he saw in the young girl reminded him of what he saw in his younger brother.

Vicki was thinking of how she could be civil, which was quite difficult to do considering her opinion of the CEO. "The lassie speaks reason, you know. You should listen to her."

Kaiba grunted at the brunette. "If Bakura was able to participate in a duel, then he should be strong enough to deal with his own injuries."

"A person's life is more important than any duel," said Serenity quietly. She had to pinch herself to keep her lip from trembling. It looked like the CEO was not going to budge, and she couldn't stand the thought of Bakura dying. Sure, her brother was stubborn at times, but he was definitely more relenting than Kaiba was.

Tristan felt like pulling out his hair in frustration. "Can't you stop being so selfish for once?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with you?" agreed Duke.

Joey had just about lost patience with Kaiba and only kept his temper by a thread for Serenity's sake. "Have you no heart?!"

"It is impossible for me to land the ship." Kaiba got up and went to the window.

"What?! Then let's dance!" Joey went after Kaiba, but Yugi blocked his way to keep him from going too far.

"Relax, Joey!" said the tri-colored haired young man.

"Well, answer me this, Kaiba," said Vicki. "Do you have any doctors on your ship in case things like this happen?" She was starting to get the feeling she was someplace where she would be in danger.

Kaiba briefly glanced at the chocolate haired girl, and turned his head away. "Perhaps I do." _'Sometimes I do not know why I put up with these dorks.'_ He sighed, for he could see Yugi and his friends were not going to take no for an answer, and he felt compelled to appease them, if only to get them out of his sight. He pressed a button on his collar. "Send some medics to room number six."

There was a sense of relief in the air. Joey thought he was gonna have to get physical. Before Serenity or Yugi could thank the CEO, Mokuba explained, "This blimp has more facilities than most hospitals in the city do, and the doctors here are better trained. Bakura is in good hands here."

"All right. Thank you, lad." Vicki and the others exited the room.

"So you guys think Bakura will be okay in the hands of Kaiba's quacks?" asked Joey, once he and the rest of the gang were a far enough distance from Kaiba's room.

"I believe so," said Vicki. "I do trust Mokuba, so if he says they're excellent doctors, I believe him."

"I guess you're right." Joey was still skeptical, but he was also aware of the fact that Mokuba and his brother were like night and day.

"Hey Serenity, your speech back there was awesome!" Tristan told the young girl.

Duke turned green with envy. _'He thinks he's gonna get her without a fight? No way!' _ On an impulse, he took Serenity's hands in his hands. "Yeah, who would have thought you would be able to persuade someone like Kaiba?"

Serenity's face turned bright red at Duke's touch. "I'm not that great. I just told him the truth."

"No need to be so modest." Duke released Serenity's hands, seeing her discomfort.

"Hey guys, let's look for Bakura's ring while we still have time," spoke up Tristan, wanting to change the subject somewhat.

"Yeah, but which one of us should go?" asked Joey. "We don't all have to."

"I would, but I am feeling a bit stiff from the cold winds, so I will have to feel a bit of warmth before the second duel," said Vicki.

Tristan looked thoughtful, as he knew Vicki was speaking of her arthritis pain. "Well don't worry about it. And you, Joey and Yugi have duels to prepare for."

"I could have been doing that earlier, if it were not for certain people," the blonde grumbled, whilst Yugi said, "It's all right. I know what strategy I will use."

'_This is my chance to really bond with Serenity.'_ "I think Serenity and I should be the ones to look for the ring," said Duke, taking a hold of one of Serenity's hands.

A tinge of jealousy hit Tristan. He knew what Duke was scheming and he was not going to allow it. "I don't think so! You and I will be the ones to look for the ring." He covered Duke's mouth to keep him from objecting.

"Let go of me!" protested Duke in a garbled voice.

Yugi and Vicki looked uncomfortable by the bickering going on, but tried their hardest to ignore it.

"All right. See you guys later," said Joey.

"Right! We won't come back without that ring," promised Tristan. He dragged Duke away from Serenity, towards the elevator and inside of it, the ebony-haired young man squirming the whole time.

Joey and Yugi went to their rooms to go over their dueling strategies, and Vicki decided to see what Mai was up to.

* * *

Tristan and Duke stood on the upper deck of the blimp, searching around for the millennium ring. Tristan had figured it would have been lost up there since it was the last place Bakura had it. So far, there was no trace of the ring anywhere.

Tristan gave a frustrated sigh at the lack of progress he was making. _'Dagnabbit, where is that blasted ring?'_ He found it so annoying how there seemed to be no control over whether the ring stayed or went.

Duke couldn't take it anymore. He threw his arms up in the air. "Whose bright idea was it to look for the ring out here, anyway?"

Tristan was already in a bad mood because of how he had no luck finding the ring. "Listen, it would be nice if you would actually make yourself useful by helping instead of complaining."

"If you would take your head out of your butt for a second, you will see that there is nothing up here but cold air," snapped the raven-haired young man. "Are you trying to make me catch a cold or something?"

Tristan decided to ignore the first comment as it was nothing worth arguing over. "Actually, I have something to say to you and I wanted to say it when we were alone."

"Oh?" Duke raised an eyebrow. "And just what might that be?"

"Ever since you have arrived in Battle City, you've been getting on my nerves. You're trying to get much too close to Serenity."

Duke started twirling a short strand of hair around his finger. "Are you a relative of Serenity's or her lover or something? Who died and made you police of who I like?"

Tristan began to see red. "And what do you mean by that?"

"I'm saying that unless you're Joey, you have no right to question me," replied Duke. "If you have such strong feelings for her, you should just tell her you like her. It's not that hard."

"What do you know, dice boy?"

"A lot more than you, pointy haired clown!" retorted Duke.

'_All right, that does it!'_ It was one thing when Duke flirted with Serenity, but when he insulted Tristan's intelligence, he went too far. "I'm gonna make you regret those words!" Tristan started cracking his knuckles.

Duke had an amused look on his face. "Oh, I'd like to see you try."

"I will!" Tristan clenched a fist and extended the arm in an attempt to punch the young man in the nose, but Duke dodged the blow and shoved Tristan away. He fell against the dueling platform.

Tristan got back up. He could feel his blood pressure rising. "Why you…" He shoved Duke even harder, so hard that the Dungeon Dice Monster creator lost his balance and started to fall off the top of the blimp.

'_Darn! I didn't mean to do that.'_ When Tristan realized what he had done, he quickly reached out and caught Duke by his wrist before he could plummet to his death. He was also falling so he caught onto the edge of the blimp. Seeing that pulling himself with Duke in tow was out of the question, he simply dangled from the edge. Holding on was putting quite a strain on his hand. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to hang on, and beneath him was a long way down. "Whatever you do, Duke, don't look down!"

"You jerk!" Duke interjected. "You must be trying to kill me!"

A look of guilt appeared on the brunette young man's face, knowing he let his temper get the better of him and his friend would pay the price. "I'm sorry dude. I'll get you out of this! I promise!"

Duke laughed in a cynical way. "I can't _wait _for this one," he muttered.

"Is anyone out there?" yelled Tristan. "Please help us!"

"_That's _your plan?" Duke rolled his eyes.

Tristan knew this was not the time to argue back, as snarky as Duke was being. "Help!" he continued to shout.

Unable to come up with a better idea, Duke started screaming for help with Tristan. So far, no one was coming. He quietly said a prayer that someone would come.

"By the way, how is your grip?" Duke asked Tristan.

Drat. Tristan had been hoping Duke wouldn't ask that. "Now that you've mentioned it, not good! My hand is very numb!" Not only that, but the pointy-haired young man's fingers felt like they were being chopped off.

Duke cursed under his breath. He didn't like the news at all. And he felt like he was being dropped. "Try to hang on!"

"I wish I could but my hand is slipping!" Just as he said those words, he could feel he no longer had a grip and he and Duke started to fall. As he was beginning to fall, someone reached out and grabbed him by the wrist.

Duke had been preparing for his death, but noticed he was no longer falling. _'My prayers must have been answered.'_ "Hey dude, what's going on?"

"Someone's got me!" Tristan looked up to see who it was. It was a tan-skinned man with a turban wrapped around his head, wearing donut shaped earrings and a cream colored cloak. "Hey Mister, will you help us up?"

The man said nothing, but continued to pull Tristan and Duke up, onto the platform. He exited the arena without so much of a word.

By then, Duke was out of breath and had forgotten about the argument. "That was too close."

Tristan's mind had started to wander, so he didn't see when the stranger left. "Thank you so much. I owe you one. Tell me, what's your name?" Tristan looked around but didn't see his rescuer anywhere. "Huh? Where did he go?"

Duke could hear the brunette rambling, and wondered what was going on. He turned around so he was facing him. "Huh? Something wrong, Tristan?"

"I was talking about the guy who just saved us," explained Tristan. "He was wearing a bathrobe."

Duke frowned. "A bathrobe?"

"Yeah! I'm not making this up."

"I'm not saying you were. But then, where is he?"

"He must have disappeared."

* * *

Ishizu was aware of Shadi's presence on the vessel, due to her millennium necklace, and it also revealed he would be coming to pay her a visit. She decided now was a good time to pay her brother Marik a visit and speak with him while Shadi was talking to Yugi. She arose from the chair she had been sitting in.

"Ishizu? Where are you going?" asked Keren.

"I'm going to speak with Marik," answered the younger woman.

"Perfect timing. I would like to come along as well, if that is all right with you."

"Keren…" Ishizu had her doubts about this, and not because she was afraid Marik would harm Keren, since she had foreseen that he wouldn't. She just wasn't sure if Keren could handle one of Marik's tirades, especially considering she was dealing with her own emotional pain. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," answered the Israel native firmly. "I am through walking on eggshells when dealing with him. I have something to tell him that I think will jog his memory." Although she never realized it until now, she often had concerns that the tombkeeper considered her to be a romantic fool because of her love for Odion. Although he hadn't said anything like that to her, it didn't mean he wasn't thinking it.

"I understand. Well, come along, then."

Keren smiled to show her gratitude and followed Ishizu out of the bedroom. They both headed for Marik's room together.

* * *

Marik had just finished drinking his glass of juice and was now making an adjustment to his dueling deck. He wanted to ensure that it would be strong enough to defeat his opponent. _'Those fools will be in for a surprise once they witness the power of my deck.'_ He especially couldn't wait to use it against Yugi and his counterpart.

'_Knock, knock.'_ Marik pretended he didn't hear the knocking and finished putting his deck together, hoping whoever it was would take the hint and get lost.

'_Knock knock.'_ Marik's first instinct was to banish the person who dared to disturb him to the Shadow Realm, especially if it was Odion. He had given the older man instructions not to disturb him unless it was an emergency. Gritting his teeth, he clutched his millennium rod and went to the door and opened it, prepared to give Odion a chewing out.

Standing there was not Odion, but Ishizu and Keren, both with very serious expressions on their faces. He thought he saw something in Keren's eyes, like sadness.

"Well, well, Ishizu and Keren, what a very pleasant surprise," said Marik, his temper subsiding a bit. His lips stretched into a small smile. "It has been a very long time since I have crossed paths with either of you."

"Yes, it has been a long time, brother," agreed Ishizu.

Keren looked down at her feet. She was so tempted to let Ishizu do the talking because although she vowed to be more assertive, she still found the young man to be hard to read. _'Now is not a good time to be a coward,'_ a voice inside her head chided her. "You seem to be as healthy as I remember seeing you, and I am glad," she finally forced out.

Marik chuckled lightly. "In spite of your little accident, I can say the same about you," he retorted playfully. _'Keren is as witty as ever, I see.' _ Then he remembered his manners—at least what was left of them. "Why don't you ladies come in?" He stepped back so they could enter.

The two young women entered the room without so much of a word, unsure what to make of the invitation.

"What do I owe the honor of your visit?" Marik sat in his chair.

Keren had grown so accustomed to seeing the cornsilk haired young man so quick-tempered, this friendly side to him was scaring her a bit. But at least it reminded her that there was no reason for her to be afraid to say what she had to say to him.

"There's something important I must tell you," Ishizu told her younger brother.

"Oh?" Marik arched an eyebrow, genuinely curious. "And what is that?"

"I know for many years you believed the pharaoh was responsible for our father's death but it is time you learned the truth. The pharaoh would never do such a thing, but for the past six years you have been under the control of an evil force, and it is controlling you against your will." Because Ishizu knew what she would say to Marik beforehand, the explanation easily rolled off her tongue.

"And it was you who introduced me to Odion," Keren spoke up. "I remember that very vividly."

Marik flinched slightly. _'This cannot be true. To think all of my actions have been for naught? No, I won't accept that.' _ He got the impression his sister was just standing in his way again, as she seemed intent on opposing him. "Nonsense!"

'_Uh-oh,'_ thought Keren, ignoring the dull ache in her dislocated finger. _'I'm wondering if this was such a good idea.'_

Ishizu didn't seem to be fazed by the outburst, though. She expected such a reaction, and she knew it must be a shock for him. "If you do not believe my words, then perhaps using the power of my millennium necklace to transport you to the time of the events will convince you."

"I highly doubt that, but I would like to see you try!"

"Very well." Ishizu placed her hands by each corner of her necklace in a mystic manner, invoking its power.

Marik watched as the light from the necklace engulfed him. He screamed as he was overwhelmed by its power. He couldn't help it. He never dreamed the millennium necklace would possess that much power. _'I must have underestimated the power of the necklace.'_

_*Flashback begins*_

_Marik and Ishizu returned from the surface and hurried into the bedroom they shared. Keren was right behind them. The sheets on Marik's bed were rolled back, revealing a pillow of some sort. They could also hear some screams of pain. When they looked to see why, their frantic expressions turned into horror. Keren nearly fainted. _

_Mr. Ishtar was beating Odion with a whip. The lashes were so vicious that the young man's clothing ripped and his wounds, which were bleeding were visible. The tattooed face young man collapsed from the pain. Mr. Ishtar stood over him, breathing heavily._

"_Odion!" Marik ran over to his older adopted brother and knelt next to him. _

_Odion was starting to lose consciousness. "Master Marik…I'm sorry I let you down. I tried my best…"_

"_I know." Marik bent over and hugged his protector. His blood got on Marik's clothes._

_Mr. Ishtar turned to face his two children with a dark look on his face. "Marik! Ishizu! You know you are forbidden to ever leave underground! I have punished Odion for allowing you two to disobey me! Now, who is this little girl? I didn't recall giving you permission to invite anyone to our home!" The older man rudely pointed to Keren._

_Keren looked away so she wouldn't have to face the surly man. She didn't see how he and Marik were related at all. 'Hmm…if the gentleman is so angry, maybe I should leave, but I still want to meet Odion. What should I do?' _

_Marik squirmed nervously. He wasn't sure how to explain to his father who the teenager was without making him angrier, but he knew he would never get away with lying, either. He gulped. _

"_Answer me!" barked Mr. Ishtar, lashing at the ground with his whip. _

_Marik started trembling and the palms of his hands started to sweat. He looked into his father's eyes and saw fury in them. He looked down at his feet. "Her name is Keren. She is a new friend and Ishizu and I brought her here to meet Odion."_

"_I-It's all right. I will leave if you want me to," stammered Keren, getting the feeling she was not welcome. "I never meant to intrude."_

_Mr. Ishtar studied the teenager before him. By her clothing he could tell she was a foreigner. "You should never have come here! I will not have outsiders in my home!" _

_Keren was stunned. She had never met anyone quite as mean as this man before. 'I knew this was not a good idea.' So she would at least out be of his sight, she went in a corner and crouched down as low as she could. 'Maybe he'll be gone soon. '_

_Marik's father turned to face Marik and Ishizu, gnashed his teeth and glowered at them. "So not only did you wander around the surface, but you befriended the outsiders too?! I will not tolerate such treason! You two will be severely punished!" He took out the whip, preparing to give them a beating. _

_Marik, who was indignant at the treatment both Keren and Odion had received, decided he had enough of his father's harsh behavior. A sharp pain shot through his head and he clutched it, groaning in pain. _

_Ishizu, concerned, came over to her brother and placed both of her hands on his shoulders. "Marik? Are you all right?"_

_Most of Marik's cornsilk hair levitated so that it looked spiky, and he gave an evil chuckle. He caught the whip and held it in place as the senior Ishtar lashed at him. _

_Mr. Ishtar tried to yank it back, but his son's grip was too strong. "You dare to resist my punishment?" _

"_You don't scare me anymore," said Marik in a deep, sinister voice. _

_Ishizu took her hands off of Marik's shoulders, unable to believe his change in behavior. No one had ever dared to show disrespect to their father before. And she was not sure what to make of his levitated hair, either."Marik, what do you think you're doing?" She hated to think of how much trouble the young boy would be in for his insolent behavior. _

"_From now on, these items are mine!" declared Dark Marik, wandering over to where the millennium rod and necklace were. _

_The former tombkeeper too was stunned by his son's aggressive behavior but he would not be deterred. "Marik, you will inherit those when the time is right and no sooner!"_

"_Why don't you keep quiet, old man? I'm making my own rules now!" The possessed young man bent over and picked up the rod. _

"_Marik! I command you to cease this foolishness at once and put that rod down!" ordered the older man in his authoritative voice._

_Dark Marik turned to face his father. "What if I don't? You can do nothing against me, you foolish old man!"_

"_Marik! For the last time, put the rod down!" _

_Dark Marik did not retort anything this time. Instead, he emitted some power from the item, blasting his father against the wall. "Oh my son..." the elderly man groaned. _

_Ishizu could not believe her eyes. This cruel person just could not be her brother. "Marik! Stop this madness right now!"_

_Dark Marik had just witnessed the power of the rod and it felt good. He was not going to allow anyone to oppose him. "This does not concern you, Ishizu!" He zapped his sister against the wall with the rod._

"_You're not Marik," uttered the young teen. _

_Dark Marik chuckled. "Very perceptive. Now Father, it's time for you to be silenced forever! The future is mine!" He pulled out the dagger part of the rod and walked over to his father, plunging the dagger into the old man's chest. Mr. Ishtar let out a cry of agony._

_*Flashback ends*_

Marik shook from the intensity of the events and his mouth dropped open slightly. Ishizu was right. There _was _such a thing as a dark side and he was the one who murdered his father. All this time he had hated the pharaoh for pretty much no reason at all, even though he still felt he had every right to despise his mission. At first, he did not know what to say.

"Do you believe me now, Marik?" asked Ishizu, wondering what her younger brother's silence meant.

Marik ignored the question. He was not going to give up so easily. "If this is true, why have you waited until now to tell me?"

The young woman could see the hurt on her brother's face that such facts were hidden from him for so long. "I was unsure how to tell you such devastating news at the time, so Odion thought it would be best to shield you from it all. You were already dealing with a great loss, and you needed time to heal."

"I see. You and Odion were only trying to protect me." Marik wasn't sure if he should be grateful to his sister and adopted brother for protecting him or angry that he had been lied to for so long. On the one hand, he wasn't sure if he would have been able to handle the truth at such a tender age, but on the other hand, he felt the information would have saved him from feeling so much anger and hatred.

"Yes," confirmed Ishizu. "Now that you know the truth, the choice of which path you will take is yours and yours alone. I trust that you will make the right decision in time. Good day, my brother. Thank you for your time." She and Keren exited the room.

Marik didn't say a word as the two young women left his room. He was extremely confused. He knew he could not deny what his sister had told him, as he had just witnessed the events with the help of her millennium necklace, but at the same time he was not ready to come to grips with it. _'Ishizu's visions may have been accurate, but I have come too far to turn back now.'_

* * *

The twenty-minute break was almost over, so Yami left his room to find his friends so they could all head to the dueling hall together. He had received a visit from Shadi earlier, who had come because there was a disturbance in the mystic alignment and also to tell Yugi about the origins of the Egyptian God cards and how Pegasus had a vision where he nearly faced the wrath of the gods. _'I must prevent Marik from obtaining those god cards. If he gets his hands on them, who knows what danger will befall the world?' _

Yami met the group in the hallway, gathered around and chatting. Tristan had been telling Serenity, Joey and Vicki about his and Duke's near death experience on the upper deck. "So just when it seemed like we would be done for, someone came to our rescue. Right, Duke?"

Duke gave an embarrassed look. "Well, I didn't actually see anyone, but _someone _had to pull us up, I suppose." His green eyes turned shifty. "Unless, of course, there is a ghost haunting this ship."

Joey got a spooked look on his face at the word ghost and playfully elbowed Tristan in the ribs. "If you two are trying to rattle me before my duel, it's not going to work," he said, trying to mask his fear.

Serenity, however, was able to pick up on her brother's fear and decided to test him. "Suppose there really was some kind of ghost?" She faked an innocent look.

"Don't be silly! Ghosts don't exist!" Joey had been busy trying to convince himself of that when he felt someone resting a hand on his shoulder, which was so startling he gave a real look of fright.

"Are you ready for the next duel?" asked Yami.

'_I know that voice. It's Yuge.'_ Joey whirled around, and was somewhat relieved to see his best friend yet he was discombobulated about the scare he gave him. "Don't scare me like that! You could have given me a heart attack!"

Serenity stifled a giggle at her brother.

Yami took his hand off of the blonde's shoulder. "My apologies. I had no intention of frightening you."

* * *

Tèa was still in Bakura's room, watching over him. Although the medics had tended to his injuries, there was still little change in his condition. The brunette's eyes were still blank, for she had not been released from Marik's control yet.

Shadi suddenly appeared in the room, though Tèa was not aware of his presence. He frowned at the aura he sensed. _'The great disturbance I sensed is strongest in this room. Somehow, my millennium key is shielding me from the girl's sight. I suspect the reason for the disturbance is that someone has stolen another millennium item. If the thief succeeds in collecting all seven items, the world will be in great peril.'_ The guardian of the millennium items disappeared from the room, having found the answer to his question.

Through Tèa's eyes, Marik watched over the young man with a wicked grin on his face. _'I will hold onto the millennium ring for now. After all, Bakura will have no use for it in his current condition.'_ He also decided he would occasionally take control of Tèa's mind, just in case something happened.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

* * *

The recess was over and all of the finalists (minus Ishizu) gathered in the dueling hall once again. Tristan and Duke had decided to forget about the search for Bakura's millennium ring for the time being. They figured the artifact would turn up again on its own, since it was obviously uncontrollable by mere mortals.

"The finalists for the second match will now be chosen!" Roland announced.

"Bingo!" yelled Mokuba.

Roland pushed the button on the machine to activate it, and shuffled all of the small balls. The ball that landed was revealed to be number 2.

"Joey Wheeler!"

Joey gave a wide grin as he heard Roland call his name. "Yeah, I can't wait to see who I'm gonna face!" He hoped he faced someone who would give him a real challenge.

Roland activated the machine again and shuffled the balls for the second duelist. Once the balls stopped shuffling, the selected ball landed, which read number 7. "Duelist number seven is Marik Ishtar!"

'_This is perfect!'_ As happy as Joey was about facing "Marik", who was actually Odion, he couldn't resist glaring daggers at him. "I have waited for this moment for a long time!" He would make the Egyptian pay dearly for using him as a mind puppet.

Yugi looked slightly worried as he knew how dangerous a foe Marik had proven to be. _'I know Joey can defeat Marik, but it sure won't be easy. He will have to remain focused. There is no telling what Marik will do this time, considering he failed last time. I just hope he doesn't use the rod to win the duel.'_

Joey gave the older man a dark look as he said, "I hope you're prepared to lose because I will defeat you with my own two hands!"

Odion gave the blonde a blank look, unfazed by his threats. _'Such an insolent fool. He does not have the skills to defeat me.'_

* * *

Ishizu and Keren had each said a silent prayer that Marik would eventually accept the truth and see the light before it was too late, and Keren also wished for Odion to not make a mistake he would regret later. Still, she had an uneasy feeling, as she suspected once again he was up to no good.

"Well, Keren, according to my millennium necklace, Joey Wheeler is facing Odion in the next duel. Odion is disguised as Marik," Ishizu informed the Israeli.

Keren lowered her hazel colored eyes. "I see." _'That would explain this bad feeling I have.'_ She felt a painful jolt in her chest as the disturbing news meant her fears were about to come to fruition that Odion was about to walk on a path of destruction and there would be no turning back.

"So what do you plan to do?" asked the younger woman. Although Keren had not said much she knew she was troubled about the news.

"I will go and observe the duel," answered Keren. She was gracious in her tone, but firm.

Ishizu was not surprised by the firmness Keren was showing, for she knew the older woman had reached her breaking point regarding the whole saga and she was now determined to do something about it. "I understand. Just be careful."

"Don't worry. I will." Keren still regretted not taking a chance and entering the tournament, but she knew now was not the time to be beating herself up. _'Perhaps just being there will be enough.'_ She understood the warning as there was no doubt Marik would take her presence as a distraction to Odion, and he would not take kindly to that. _'I only hope I can stand firm until the end.'_ She exited the room and made her way to the Stratos arena.

* * *

Joey and Odion stood on the upper deck shuffling each other's decks. Odion was soon done, but Joey faced him with clenched teeth, still shuffling, grunting whilst he did so. _'I will never forgive this dickhead for turning me against my friends,'_ thought Joey, giving Odion a fierce look.

Tristan shook his head as he eyed his best friend. "Man, Joey is such a hothead."

Yugi, on the other hand, admired Joey's high spiritedness. "Wow, Joey is sure fired up in his duel against Marik. He will need that fire to face someone as dangerous as him. "

"Yes, but we all know what a horrible temper Joey has. He had better watch what he says to this guy."

'_Tristan's right. Joey needs to stay focused. And enough of the deck shuffling already,'_ thought Mai. She tapped her foot in boredom.

Serenity gazed around the arena until her eyes were on Joey. She couldn't help but feel worried for her brother. From what little she knew of Marik, she found him to be quite ruthless. "Hey guys, do you think Joey will be all right?" she asked.

"Of course he will, lassie," answered Vicki, rubbing her hands together in an attempt to warm them up. _'Brrrr, so cold…at this rate I won't be able to move in the morning.'_

"I almost forgot," said Tristan. "This is your first time watching Joey duel, right?"

Serenity nodded."Mmmhmm."

Duke was about to ask Yugi something when all of a sudden, the elevator doors slid open. Out stepped a woman they had never seen before. She walked towards the gang and stood several feet away from them. She eyed the dueling field, relieved to see that she hadn't missed anything.

"Who is she?" Tèa whispered to Yugi.

"I'm not sure, but I am sure we will find out in due time, that is, when she chooses to introduce herself," answered the spiky haired teen.

Tristan let out a loud whistle. "Man, that's one hot looking lady," he commented. He didn't care that she appeared to be several years older than him. Mai, Tèa and Vicki rolled their eyes at what a big flirt the pointy haired teen was being.

Duke smirked at Tristan. "It seems you have given up on Serenity. Well, that's absolutely fine with me. Nothing will stand in the way of me getting to know her."

Tristan glared at Duke as he knew what the ebony haired young man was scheming. "Don't even think about it!"

Duke was about to start arguing with Tristan, but before he could think of a really good insult, Vicki snapped, "Would you two knock it off? You are giving me a migraine! Geez!"

Both Duke and Tristan looked sheepish. "Sorry," they mumbled.

Keren merely drowned out the bickering as well as the whispering about her. She had come for one and only one reason—to watch Odion's duel and make sure he didn't make an irreversible mistake, so she didn't have any interest in the others at the moment. She glanced up at Joey and noticed the hostile looks he was giving her companion. _'I don't know what business this young man has with Odion, but I have a feeling I will find out soon enough.'_

Mokuba glanced up at his elder brother. "Hey Seto, since Marik is the leader of the rare hunters, he must have a ton of rare cards in his deck, right?"

"Most likely. However, there's only one of them I am interested in and it is his Egyptian God card. Hopefully that small fry will duel well enough to let me see it and witness its power."

Joey kept shuffling Odion's deck until Roland finally said, "You've shuffled his deck more than enough times. It's time to start the duel!" The blonde handed the deck back to Odion and snatched his from the from the older man's hand. The two gentlemen took their places on the field.

'_I'll make this mind-controlling freak wish he was never born!'_ Joey turned around, angrily facing the tattooed face man, pointing to him. "Hey, listen up, baldy! You'll be beaten down in 11 turns, got it?!"

Odion, unmoved by Joey's threats, responded by giving the blonde a grim stare. _'Foolish boy…you're no match for me.'_

Joey's friends groaned at his overconfidence. "How did he come up with eleven?" pondered Duke.

"He's way in over his head," commented Tristan.

"For once, I agree with you," said Duke.

"Wow, Joey has the duel figured out already," said Serenity with a big grin on her face. She was glad to know her brother would be all right after all.

Mai generally found the way Serenity supported her brother to be very touching and admirable, but felt this was one of the times she was going too far. "That's right, Serenity, you just keep believing everything he says."

Odion reached into his pocket, pulled out the millennium rod and pointed it at Joey, in an attempt to scare him.

'_Oh no, it's that millennium item! That's what he used to control me!'_ Joey's fierce facial expression faltered and turned into one of fear.

Yami's silhouette appeared next to Yugi, looking horrified to see Joey's opponent holding the millennium rod. _'Just as I suspected! Marik will use the millennium rod to win this duel! That coward can't win on his own.'_

Odion's actions were making Keren feel so queasy to her stomach that she was tempted to leave right then and there. She had doubts that he was even aware of her presence since he did not acknowledge her. _'No Keren,'_ an inner voice said to her. _'You must remain, no matter how difficult it may seem.'_

Joey managed to pull himself together. Once more, he glowered at Odion. "Point that thing someplace else and fight a fair duel."

"Very well." Odion stuck the golden colored back in his pocket. He wasn't very keen on the idea of using the rod, anyway.

"Huh? Did he just say very well?" Joey didn't expect the caped man to heed his order that easily. _'There's something fishy going on about this guy.'_

Yugi looked relieved when he saw what Odion had just done. _'Maybe he realizes Joey's mind is too strong to be controlled. That's why his magic didn't work last time.' _

The real Marik gave a wicked grin at what was going on and how easily Yugi and his friends were tricked. _'Of course these fools do not know the millennium rod Odion holds is merely a replica of the real deal. They will never suspect that I am the one they feel such contempt for and who has caused them such pain and suffering. It should be a piece of cake for Odion to fight my battles for me. In the meantime I will focus on learning Kaiba's role in ancient Egypt. I have noticed that the sorcerer bears a resemblance to him and he holds the millennium rod, which can cause a problem. I will snatch his Egyptian God card Obelisk the Tormentor before he gets in my way.'_ Marik turned to Odion and gave him a stern look. _"Listen to me, Odion. If you can't defeat this pathetic fool, Joey Wheeler, you won't stand a chance against the pharaoh. So unless you want to be severely punished, I am warning you, do not disappoint me!"_

Odion feared the punishment his master had for him if he failed because he knew which one the corn-silk haired young man had in mind. _"Yes, Master Marik. I pledge my word that I will defeat this worthless opponent."_ He turned his attention back to Joey. "It's time to duel. I will destroy you. Prepare for defeat!"

"Don't count on it! You don't scare me! If you don't mind, I'll start, you freak!" The blonde grinned to show how excited he was about the duel. He drew his cards.

"Stick it to him, Joey!" yelled Tristan from the sidelines.

"If you screw this up I won't forgive you!" Mai warned. "Remember, you owe me a rematch!"

"You got it, Mai!" Joey peeked at the cards in his hand, trying to decide what his first move should be. The best card he was currently holding was Gearfried the Iron Knight. _'Hmm, not too shabby. I don't have to make a sacrifice and it's safe to play him while I wait to see what chrome-dome is capable of.'_

'_Come on Wheeler. Do your best to make him play his Egyptian God card,'_ thought Kaiba, folding his arms.

Marik gave another evil grin. _'I may not be able to dispute the visions Ishizu showed me, but I won't turn back. Not now, not ever.'_

Keren had been silent whilst listening to everything that was said about Odion before. Of course she couldn't really fault Joey for his anger, but she felt she had to say something. She didn't want him to say or do anything too rash. Normally she would be afraid to say something against Odion with Marik around, but she wasn't this time. She doubted he would try to hurt her with so many people around watching. She saw the blonde preparing to make his move. "Joey, is it?"

Joey looked up from his deck at the woman speaking to him. He had thoughts about telling her off for holding him up, but decided to just hear her out, for she might have something important to say. "Yes, that's me. And who might you be?"

Keren's faced flushed as she responded, "You may call me Keren. I know you are eager to begin the duel, but before you do, I just want to let you know that not everything is what it seems."

Joey looked confused at first._ 'Wha? What is this lady talking about?'_ As soon as he absorbed what was said, though, his look of confusion turned into the annoyance he had been trying to suppress. He could keep his temper no longer. "Listen here, lady, Marik controlled my mind and that's unforgivable, so if you're trying to play mind games with me, you can forget it!"

Keren cringed slightly. It seemed like reasoning with Joey would be harder than she thought. _'Looks like I may have angered him…he's nearly as stubborn as Marik is.'_ "My apologies. It is not my intention to distract you. Believe me, I know what you are feeling and even understand it, but don't forget to keep a clear and focused mind."

Joey's expression softened a bit. He thought Keren made sense when she told him to be careful in his decision making. "Ah. Gotcha."

Keren was pleased to know that she managed to get Joey to listen to her. "You have the power to stop him. Do your best to succeed."

"Now you're talking." Joey grinned, but discreetly he was rolling his eyes._ 'Does this Keren woman think she's my mentor or something? Either way, I am happy to comply. This nut-job must be stopped.'_

Odion looked across the field over at the young woman. Keren's eyes met his and the two of them exchanged a look. _'Good. He is now aware of my presence. I trust he will stay in line now that he knows I am here.'_

Marik clenched his teeth. He was not pleased to see Keren there, especially after hearing what she said to Joey._ 'If Keren thinks she's going to interfere with my plans, she can think again. I will send her to the Shadow Realm if I have to. ' _He gave Odion a warning look that said, _'You had better not allow Keren's presence to affect your performance.'_

Joey put a game face on as he mentally prepped himself. _'All right, like Keren said, if I am to win this duel I can't let anything rattle me. If I defeat this evil freakshow, he'll be out of the finals. That'll make me famous, as well as a hero. Not only that, but I'll win his Egyptian God card, too.'_ Joey gave a toothy grin at the thought of winning such a powerful card. He began to laugh softly to himself. Unexpectedly, a gust of wind appeared and blew his cards out of his hand. He and his friends gave panicked screams as they saw that his cards were falling overboard and about to plummet into the ocean. He quickly caught one card between his teeth and grabbed the remaining four. He leaned over the railing, panting from the adrenaline.

"Joey, you might want to hold onto your cards for this duel!" said Duke, baffled at what he just saw.

"You guys, he needs support," pointed out Serenity. "Nice catch, big brother!" Her compliment made Duke and Tristan fall over in embarrassment.

Joey recovered from the episode enough to take his place on the field once again. _'Note to self. Beware of gusty winds. What was Kaiba thinking, throwing his duels up here?'_ Sometimes he wondered if Kaiba's mind was in space with his plans. "Ok now where was I?"

"Acting like a fool," answered Odion.

"That's enough out of you, Marik! I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!" (1800 attk) The ebony colored warrior emerged onto the field. "That ends my turn. Let's see if you're tough enough to take him on, unless you're scared."

Odion ignored Joey's last remark. He already proved he couldn't be taken seriously. "I play Temple of the Kings, a card like none you've ever seen!" As the robed man set the card in the side slot of his duel disk, a large ancient golden colored temple rose behind him, covering that portion of the field.

Joey looked taken aback. "Huh? What does that do?"

"It protects the treasure inside and limits the amount of magic and trap cards played in one turn," Odion explained slowly, as if he wanted to make sure Joey understood. "I'll also set two cards face down, and with this move, I end my turn. Try to attack me if you dare! You have no idea of the horrors that await you inside the ancient temple. "

"Yeah yeah yeah, enough about the temple, I get it!"

"What on earth?" asked Vicki. "This chap hasn't played any monster cards."

"Attack his life points directly!" suggested Tristan.

"That's stupid," commented Duke.

Tristan's eyebrows arched up. "Oh? And why is that, genius?"

Duke had a look on his face that said _'Duh'_ as he responded, "Well, because of the face down cards. He is probably waiting for Joey to attack so he could spring them on him."

Tristan felt like a doofus for forgetting about the face down cards. "Oops, you got me there."

As concerned as Joey was about the field magic card, it was the face down cards that worried him more. _'Those face down cards could be traps and although baldy here has no monsters on the field to protect him, who knows what those cards can do? It's too early on in the duel to take such a risk.'_ He started to sweat nervously. It was all he could do not to squirm as well.

"Joey, are you okay up there?" asked Tristan.

"Yeah you look scared," added Serenity.

'_That's what I was afraid of. If I am to win this duel, I'll have to pull myself together. '_ He looked at the cards in his hand and spotted Giant Trunade, the one Vicki gave to him. _'Wait a minute...what am I so worried about? I can use my Giant Trunade card to blow his old temple and face down cards away. I know…'_ A grin appeared on the blonde's face as an idea started to come to him. _'I think I know how I am going to defeat him. I will just build up my attack force by summoning a couple more monsters, but I won't attack. Then he'll probably play a few more face down cards, thinking he has me trapped. That's when I'll use my magic card to get rid of that temple and face down cards, and then I will wipe out his lifepoints with my army of monsters.'_ Joey's grin got bigger, proud of himself for making what appeared to be a foolproof scheme to defeat his opponent.

"Why the hold up? Don't you realize no matter what you do, you're finished, Mr. Wheeler?" asked Odion. "So make your move."

Joey ignored Odion's taunts, still going over his strategy. _'If only he knew what I had in store for him.'_ He drew his card. "Say goodnight, Marik. I play Baby Dragon in attack mode." (1200 attk) The bright orange dragon appeared, growling softly.

"Observe, you fool! I will set 2 more cards face down and end my turn." Odion now had 4 cards face down on his side of the field, not counting his Temple of the Kings magic card.

Vicki sighed and gave a fake yawn. "This is so boring. Even that evil spirit dueled with more excitement than this." _'I should have brought something to munch on.'_

Mai stifled a giggle at Vicki's dramatic flair, but understood the feeling. "That spineless snake is just going to sit back and wait for Joey to attack him, and when he does, he will spring one of his traps. It's the oldest and wimpiest trick in the book." It was times like this she was happy she was in possession of Harpie's Feather Duster.

"Yeah, you'd think he would duel with a bit more originality."

"Apparently that word is not in his vocabulary."

"Obviously not." Vicki felt at the rate the duel was going, she would fall asleep soon. _'I wish I had a cup of espresso—I could really use it.'_

Joey could only smile to himself as the trap cards were being played. _'Just as I thought...he's playing right into my hands. Soon, he'll be history.'_ "All right, it's go time! I play Hayabusa Knight in attack mode!" (1000 attk) A humanoid shaped bird warrior materialized, raising its sword. He mentally calculated the attack points of his three monsters. It was just enough to wipe out the older man's lifepoints. "Now it's time to demolish that old palace of yours!"

Odion looked up. "Hmm?" He was becoming worried now. He generally would have thought Joey was just bluffing, but he noticed the blonde had not attacked yet so he figured there was a plan.

"I play the magic card, Giant Trunade!" announced Joey, setting the card in the magic/trap slot of his duel disk." A large typhoon emerged, swirling towards the cards.

Vicki perked up. _'Yes! He is using the card I gave him! And I have to say he uses it well.'_

"Yes!" cheered Mai, pumping her fist. "Marik will have nothing on the field to protect himself." She smiled to herself, thinking about how Joey possibly learned the get rid of the face down cards trick from her.

"It appears Joey is the winner," said Yugi. He was proud of his friend for finding a way to defeat his opponent so easily.

For the first time in what seemed like ages, Keren was able to manage a smile—a small one, but a smile nonetheless. _'I knew he would be able to defeat Odion. He is truly a powerful duelist.'_

Joey gave a smug look as he watched the cyclone travel towards Odion's face down cards. _'Winning this duel was much easier than I thought...come on Trunade, blow his trap cards and old palace away!'_ Much to his utter surprise, the pale blue colored tornado stopped in its tracks and dissipated. "What?! Why did it stop?"

All of the onlookers looked puzzled. "What's going on?" questioned Mai.

Keren's smile disappeared and turned into a frown. _'It seems Odion is up to something. Stay strong, Joseph.'_

"Your Giant Trunade magic card is no more," stated Odion, eyeing the blonde's dubious expression. "Your troubles have just begun."

"What? But my magic card was supposed to destroy your face down cards," protested Joey, still stunned at what had just happened. "Explain yourself."

"Your latest move has triggered one of my most dangerous trap cards. See, with all of my face down cards on the field, I knew you wouldn't attack me with a monster. Instead, you chose to destroy my cards with a magic card."

It was becoming clear to Joey now. "Oh, so you played a trap card that destroys magic cards?"

"Yes, but that's only one of its abilities." Odion revealed one of his face down cards, Judgment of Anubis. "My Judgment of Anubis trap card destroys all monsters on your side of the field and wipes out half of their attack points from your lifepoints! You have made a grave mistake when you built up your attack force!"

Joey watched in bewilderment as a purple figure appeared, with a dog like face and spun around destroying all three of his monsters. "Hey, you wasted some of my favorite monsters!" he protested.

"Very perceptive, Mr. Wheeler," said Odion. "And say goodbye to half of your lifepoints."

Joey's lifepoints dropped to two thousand. He looked stunned.

"When you see what else I have in store for you, those monsters will be the last thing on your mind," said Odion.

"What just happened?" asked Tristan. He had never seen anyone's strategy to get rid of face down cards be blown before.

"You see, Joey thought by not attacking he would be safe from Marik's traps, but the most dangerous and powerful cards in all of Duel Monsters are trap cards and Marik's side of the field is full of them. It seems they each have a variety of different abilities," explained Yugi.

"Let's hope Joey learned his lesson because one more mistake like that and he could kiss the finals goodbye," said Mai. "And he's come too far to lose to a creep with a bad attitude and bad fashion sense. "

"Creep is an understatement," muttered Vicki. Although Odion had been relenting with her when he briefly had her held captive, she wasn't impressed by his behavior in the least.

"Do you think Joey can win this duel in spite of all this?" asked Serenity in a worried voice.

"Yes, sure," answered Tèa. That was what she was hoping, but she wasn't sure what his chances were.

"Think he can win…I know he can," said Tristan. "Right, Yugi?"

Yugi nodded. "Don't worry, Serenity. Joey has been in tougher situations than this before. All he needs is some support and he will be crushing Marik in no time."

Serenity placed her hands by her face and yelled, "Come on, Joey, you can do it!"

It was hard for Keren to watch Odion deliver such a powerful blow to Joey's lifepoints, but she was expecting it as she knew the tattooed face man was a formidable duelist. _'I know things look dire, Joseph, but do not lose your fighting spirit. The future depends on you.'_ She hated to think about what would happen if Odion emerged victorious.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

* * *

The fact that half of Joey's life points were wiped out by just one attack left him speechless. He bowed his head down in shock. _'Man, I knew Marik would be a tough cookie, but I never thought he would have crushed my strategy that would have rid the field of his trap cards. He is an even better duelist than I thought.'_ The blonde had just managed to get over the shock of the attack when Odion taunted, "You should surrender while you can. I have more traps set up for you."

Joey grinned smugly at the older man. "Yeah yeah, keep talking, baldy. You don't realize this because you're so full of yourself, but my strategy was just a test to see how good you are. Now that I know your skills I will give it my all and you'll be history!"

Groans of frustration escaped the lips of most of Joey's friends observing. "There Joey goes again, running at the mouth," muttered Tristan. He made sure to keep his voice low so Serenity wouldn't hear him. _'Last thing I need is for her to be mad at me for badmouthing her brother.'_

Vicki removed her beret and scratched her head. "Do you think the lad has really been holding back or is he just bluffing?" She placed the beret back on her head. _'I don't know whether I should congratulate him for being fired up or not…he could be putting on a show to hide how scared he truly is.'_

"I knew it! Joey was merely toying with his opponent," said Serenity, excitement returning to her face.

Tèa gave an embarrassed look as she thought to herself, _'This girl really needs a wakeup call about her brother.' _ She wasn't sure of the best way to correct the younger teen nicely, so she didn't say anything.

Mokuba glanced sideways at his brother. He knew the young ceo had very little respect for the blonde as a duelist, but he found him to have the spirit of a true duelist. "You know, Seto, I think Joey is a better duelist than either of us have given him credit for. I mean, he regained his cool rather quickly and is not letting the pressure get to him."

"Maybe he is too stupid to feel any pressure." _'The small fry will have to show me he is a real duelist before I change my mind about him.'_

Keren wished she didn't have to hear such harsh words being uttered to Odion, but realized it was Joey's way of making the tattooed face man see the light. _'It is a relief that Joseph hasn't lost the passion that is driving him.'_

"All right, enough playing around. Let's continue this duel!" said Joey.

"In a hurry to face your inevitable defeat, are you? Well, suit yourself." Odion set two more cards face down, ending his turn.

Joey gave a weary sigh. "Is that all you can come up with? I thought this game was called Duel Monsters because you're supposed to use monsters to fight your opponents, not spend the game hiding behind traps like a coward."

"My trap strategy is good enough to defeat you. Of course a mediocre duelist such as yourself could never appreciate it," replied Odion.

"I guess it's time to show you how to play the game!"

Odion smiled to himself. He found it unlikely that he would learn a thing or two from someone whose dueling prowess was on a lower level than his._ 'This should be interesting.'_

Joey drew a card. _'Great...this monster has enough attack strength to wipe out nearly half of baldy's life points. He still has no monster on the field protecting his life points. But then he has those face down cards and who knows what they can do? This is such a tough call.'_ "I summon Alligator's Sword in attack mode!" (1500 attk). The alligator appeared on the field, growling. Joey hesitated, wondering if he should take a chance and attack.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Odion. "You said you were going to teach me how to play the game, did you not?"

'_Oh no! He's trying to force me to attack so he could spring another one of his traps on me. Well, I'm not falling for it.'_ "Listen here, tough guy, whatever it is you're trying to pull won't work on me. I'll place one card face down and that's all for now."

Yugi looked relieved that Joey had not done anything rash. "That was a smart move for now, but Joey needs to come up with another strategy to counter the traps quickly."

"I hope he does or else he will be out of the tournament," said Duke. The blonde's predicament was really worrying him. He hid his worried look as best as he could, not wanting to scare Serenity or feel the wrath of his friends for sounding like a pessimist.

"I knew it. You have no such plan. Now your destruction will continue." Odion drew a card. He glanced at it and frowned. _'This card won't be of any use to me for this turn.'_ "Well, Mr. Wheeler, it seems luck has been good to you because for this turn, I will pass."

Joey was fighting the urge to say, _'serves you right'_, but then he had a bad feeling about his opponent's skipped turn. _'He's trying to force me to attack him. Well, he's crazy if he thinks his plan will work!'_ He drew a card and said, "Well, two can play at that game, so I pass as well." _'I have to hang on for as long as I can.'_

"No matter what strategy you have implemented, your lucky streak will end here and now if I draw a card worth using." Odion pulled another card from his deck, hoping for a winning one. He frowned again. "No, this one won't do. I'll pass again. Make the most of your final turn."

Joey gritted his teeth and gave an angry growl, one he would give when he was having trouble controlling his temper. Odion was trying his patience with his antics.

"This is getting out of hand, Seto. If neither of them makes a move, this will be a long, drawn-out, boring duel," Mokuba said to his older brother.

"You need not worry about that, Mokuba," answered the former world dueling champion.

"Huh?" The young boy looked puzzled. "What do you mean, Seto?"

"Wheeler will crumble under the pressure sooner or later." _'Quite frankly, it boggles my mind that he has lasted this long.'_

"Oh. Well, that's true."

Joey had been trying his best not to lose his temper, but it was becoming quite difficult for him to keep it and at this point his patience had run out. "All right, that's it, you've had it!"

Yugi and the others gasped when they heard those words. They were also worried when they saw the look of fury in Joey's eyes because he was prone to making rash decisions once he got angry.

"Joey, calm down!" called Mai. "Don't play into his hands!"

But Joey was too angry to hear Mai's warnings. "My friends came for a duel. If you want to spend the duel wasting time, that's fine by me! But I'm gonna give everyone a show! I summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode!" (1500 attk). Once the humanoid shaped rocket monster appeared onto the field, Joey activated its invincible mode. "Rocket Warrior, attack Marik's life points directly!" The rocket sped towards the robed man.

Yugi eyed the expression on Odion's face and noticed he wasn't showing any fear. In fact, he looked smug. "Joey, call off your attack quickly!"

Keren, however, had her eyes closed, praying that the face down cards were not necessary to block the attack. Even so, she knew it was useless to hope as Odion was very confident.

A smug expression was etched onto Odion's face. "You have activated my trap card, Eye of Wdjat! "

Fear replaced Joey's glare as he watched the purple eye appear on his monster. The rocket monster staggered over to Odion's side of the field and appeared to be hypnotized. "Ah! What is that?"

"The Eye of Wdjat that has appeared on your Rocket Warrior has the power to control any of my opponents' monsters for one turn, which means your pathetic monster will be my pawn!"

"No!" Although both monsters had equal attack strengths, he would be defenseless if Odion succeeded in his attack.

"I'm afraid so! Rocket Warrior, attack his Alligator's Sword now!" The monster soared towards the reptilian warrior, about to attack.

Joey's lips stretched into a small grin. "I'm afraid that's not gonna work! " He revealed his face down card, Fairy Box. It concealed the alligator. "Now your attack has been stopped! Not only that, but you'll have to find my monster to attack him! Time to play peek-a-boo!"

'_What's this?'_ thought Odion with a stunned expression on his face. _'Joey has activated a trap card to hide his monster? It seems I have underestimated his abilities.'_ The head of Alligator's Sword popped out of one of the holes in the box, which Odion didn't miss. _'Aha. Just as I expected, a pitiful attempt to stop me.' _ "Rocket Warrior, attack his Alligator's Sword at once!" Rocket Warrior quickly launched its attack at the alligator, causing an explosion to ensue. "Ha! So much for that!"

However, when the smoke cleared, Rocket Warrior was stuck in the hole Alligator's Sword had been hiding in. He looked around as if he was searching for the alligator. In the meantime, Alligator's Sword's head had popped out of one of the other holes in the box.

Odion's smug expression turned into one of disbelief. He never expected Joey would be capable of outsmarting him. "I missed?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Sounds like you need to play arcade games more often," teased Joey, pointing and laughing. "Your trap strategy is pretty good, but not good enough. You may have crushed my first strategy but I have another way I can get rid of all your trap cards."

Everyone watching, including Kaiba and his little brother, gasped in surprise. They wondered if the blonde really was capable of such a thing or if the pressure had gotten to him so much that he decided to start bluffing.

"The fact that you only have trap cards in your deck and no monsters makes you a sitting duck," continued Joey. "Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket, you egg head. Once I destroy all your trap cards you will be wide open for an attack! You're looking at the future Duel Monsters champion. You're nothing but an ugly bald caped freak!"

"You can spew as much insults at me as you like, but the fact is that I have led you deep within my trap. My Eye of Wdjat trap card was just a ploy to get you to waste your face down card."

"Hmph." _'I'm not too worried. He will see later I am telling the truth and I do have another way to crush his strategy. I just need to hang on for these next few turns and draw the right card, then I'll be all set.'_

"_Enough talk, Odion," said Marik. "Finish off Joey Wheeler at once!"_

"_Yes, Master Marik."_ Odion knew that tone and didn't want to test his master's patience.

"What do you mean I am deep into your trap? "asked Joey. "I swear, the barber must have clipped some of your brain when he was cutting your hair."

Keren cringed at all the insults Joey was making about Odion's hairstyle. She opened her mouth to tell him to take it easy, but then closed it. _'Come to think of it, Joseph has quite a sense of humor but I would feel guilty letting him know that.'_

Odion decided to just ignore Joey's insult right then. "I mean not only did you activate my Eye of Wdjat trap card with the attack you called on my lifepoints, but also three other face down cards which disproves your theory about my dueling strategy. They are known as trap monsters—they activate as traps and attack like monsters!"

"There's no way that can be true!" Of course Joey was sure Odion was cooking up something nasty, knowing the surprises there had been so far, but he had never heard of such a thing as trap monsters.

"It is. I activate my three trap cards, Embodiments of Apophis!" As he revealed the three face down cards, ribbons of purple energy proceeded to emit from each of them. The ribbons of energy swirled around, forming 3 cobra-like swordsmen once they solidified.

Joey's mouth dropped open slightly. _'So there is such a thing as a trap monster. How am I going to get rid of them? I'd better draw something good and quick.'_

The sight of the serpent swordsmen nearly made Vicki throw up. _'Ugh...those are nearly as disgusting as Weevil's monsters...I wonder if this laddie got tips from Weevil or something.'_

"So it's true? Marik has cards that do the job of both a trap and a monster?" Mai asked Yugi, looking astonished.

"It appears so. It must be an extremely rare card as I've never heard of it." _'Joey, I believe you will pull through, but you have to keep it together.'_

Keren looked on grimly. It was the move that always defeated her when she played Duel Monsters against Odion when she was a teenager. _'Please be careful, Joseph.'_

"This is insane!" commented Mokuba, in shock.

"I have to admit, I am impressed by Marik's dueling prowess," said Kaiba with a small smile on his face. _'Still, when I face him, he will not stand a chance against me.'_

"I see now my Embodiments of Apophis has left you speechless, Mr. Wheeler. Maybe now you will realize it is not empty threats that win duels, but skill and power and soon you will fall by the superior power of my deck! You're finished!"

Joey grimly stared at the serpent-like warriors before him, not at all concerned about their repulsiveness. _'I've gotta squash these three snakes or I'm out of the finals. I know I can do it but it's gonna take time, which I don't have very much of.'_

"Hang in there, Joey!" cheered Tristan.

"Joey's lifepoints are low," stated Yugi. "He can still turn this duel around, but it won't be easy."

Serenity looked relieved hearing what the spiky haired teen said about Joey's chances of victory. She believed he could win, but she was afraid she was alone in thinking that. She made a face at the slithery reptiles as they kept their forked tongues in constant motion. _'Ugh, those snakes give me the willies.'_ She tried not to look at them. "Hey guys, what can Joey do to get rid of those slimy snakes?"

"It's not easy," answered Mai. "The first thing that boy has to do is keep his lifepoints safe."

"I am sure he's thinking of a way to get out of this mess as we speak," spoke up Vicki. "Remain optimistic, Lassie. "

"I will."

"Your chances of victory have vanished!" said Odion. "You will never recover from the triple onslaught of my Embodiments of Apophis!"

"Oh yeah? I'm gonna have to disagree with you! It's my turn now!" He drew the magic card Scapegoat, and looked slightly disappointed. _'Not the draw I was hoping for but I suppose I can use it to protect my lifepoints and monsters if baldy here decides to attack me with those snakes, which I'm sure he will do. Here goes.'_ "I place one card face down and switch my two monsters from attack to defense mode!"

"That seems like a final desperate move to me," said Odion.

"We'll see." _'I'm not letting you get at my lifepoints that easily.'_

"Yes we will see how you will stop me. Apophis, attack!" The three snake- like swordsmen raised their swords, about to attack.

A small grin appeared on Joey's lips. "Marik, you're in for a surprise! I activate my magic card, Scapegoat!" Four medium-sized balls of fluff materialized in front of him. "It lets me absorb the hits of all three of your slimy reptiles, leaving my monsters and lifepoints unharmed. " His grin got wider as he was sure he had outsmarted Odion once again. _'Now if I draw the right card on my next turn I can start attacking his lifepoints. It will soon be all over for him.'_

"I see! It's a good move, but not good enough to stop me!"

Joey's grin faltered and fear filled him. "What do you mean by that?"

"I play my trap card, Magic Jammer!"

All the spectators felt hopeful when it appeared Joey had outsmarted his opponent but the feeling died once they witnessed his move was being countered.

"Bad news, guys," said Mai. "I'm afraid Marik's Magic Jammer trap card cancels out the effects of Joey's Scapegoat magic card!"

"Oh no! If Marik wins, that'll spell disaster," moaned Tèa. What Ishizu had told her about evil forces destroying the world was still lingering in her mind. _'Oh Joey...please defeat this evil creep. I know you can do it.'_

"It's time to say goodbye to your furry friends and hello to my serpents!" declared the tattooed face man.

Joey watched in horror as his magic card disappeared. "Then that means I'm toast!" Not only would his two monsters be destroyed but seeing as how there were three serpents, that meant he would have to kiss a large portion of his remaining lifepoints goodbye as well. He punched the palm of his hand in annoyance for not summoning a third monster to protect his lifepoints, just in case this happened. _'Dang, I'm such a bonehead! No wonder rich boy is always making fun of me.'_

"Very perceptive. Apophis, attack his Rocket Warrior, and his Alligator's Sword! Now attack his lifepoints directly!" Joey cringed as the trio of reptilian beasts reduced his monsters to smithereens and came towards him, slashing him in the shoulder. He gave a scream of pain and his lifepoints dropped to four hundred. Odion laughed as the blonde fell to his knees.

Keren buried her face in her hands. She found Odion's behavior to be so atrocious that once again, she had to fight the urge to leave. She could only imagine how Joey was feeling._ 'I know how dire things are, Joseph, but please don't lose hope. There is only so much I can handle anymore.'_

"Come on, get up!" urged Yugi.

"He nearly lost the rest of his lifepoints," said Tristan.

"You have lost all of your monsters, and now you're down to 400 lifepoints. Play whatever card you like. It will make no difference, for you will be defeated with one more attack."

"Joey, you can still turn this duel around," said Yugi. "Remember, you promised to duel me once you have become a true duelist and you also vowed to help me defeat Marik. If you win, he is finished."

Marik gave an evil smirk at Yugi and his friends directing their anger at the wrong person. Odion defeating Joey was proving to be simpler than he thought. It was unreal. _'Wrong, you fool. I'm Marik. Your pathetic friend is about to be defeated at the hands of my servant Odion.'_

"The end is near for you," stated Odion.

Kaiba gave a grimace of disappointment. _'I can't believe this! Wheeler is a weaker duelist than I thought! He's not even strong enough to force Marik to use his Egyptian God card. He had better pick up the pace or he'll be sorry!'_

"What a shame…it seems as if you have made it this far just to lose on your knees," mocked Odion, feigning sympathy. "Well, you might as well stay down, because I'm about to deplete your remaining lifepoints."

Serenity was very concerned for her brother, not only because of the direct attack but because he seemed to be shell-shocked and like he was in a daze. It was painful seeing him that way since he was generally a tenacious person. "Do you guys still think Joey has a chance to win this duel?"

"Sure he does," Tristan answered.

Mai looked down with a doubtful expression. "Well if you say so."

Serenity looked at the older woman in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah Mai," said Tèa, frowning. Mai was starting to sound just as pessimistic as Duke was known to be and it was unbecoming of her.

Mai knew they would be on her case for her brutal honesty, and she was prepared for it. "Look, guys, I want Joey to win, but the odds in this duel are completely against him. Face it, Serenity, Marik still has all of his lifepoints and your brother is down to his final four hundred."

Serenity could feel tears stinging at her eyes. The thought of her brother being defeated by their greatest enemy was too much for her to bear. "But Mai…" she started to protest.

Mai suddenly felt guilty for being so blunt with the young girl. She could see Serenity was on the verge of tears. She looked thoughtful. "Well…there _is _a slim chance but Joey may have given up. He needs a serious confidence boost."

Joey glanced at his sister, and hung his head low._ 'Sorry, Serenity…it's all over for me. I planned strategies that should have worked, but they didn't. Even if I draw the card I need in order to destroy his traps, who's to say he doesn't have some secret weapon against it? It's no use trying anymore. I give up.'_

"No matter which card you play next turn, it will be easy prey for my Embodiments of Apophis!" said Odion. "I suggest you surrender if you do not wish to suffer a humiliating defeat."

Thinking Odion was right, Joey proceeded to place his hand over his deck in order to forfeit the duel.

Mai gasped. She never knew Joey to be the type to give up that easily. "No way! Don't even think about listening to this nut-job!"

Joey paused and just left his hand hovering over his deck. He looked up and asked, "Why not?"

"Well for starters, you couldn't have possibly made it to the finals without fighting until the very end. Also, what would your opponents you faced think if they could see you right now?" Mai gave the blonde young man a look.

Joey considered what Mai was telling him. "You've got a good point there." It was true, he had beaten 3 duelists who were much more experienced than he was and had more powerful decks, too.

"I see I am getting through to you. You have come much too far to throw everything away and remember, you owe me a rematch in the finals. I am sure this is not how your sister wants to see things turn out."

"No, I definitely don't want her to see me as a quitter." Joey removed his hand from above his deck, making up his mind to continue the duel.

"Joey, you can still win this duel!" shouted Serenity. "You're the strongest person I know. I get my inspiration from you. If it were not for you, I would not have gotten my sight back. Not just because you paid for my surgery, but you being there for me gave me the strength to go through with it. Because of all you've done for me, I was inspired to take off the bandages and be there for you when you needed me. When everything was dark, you gave me light. You have never given up before and you shouldn't start today."

'_Such powerful words…I feel much stronger already.' _"Don't worry. I'll keep going. " Joey turned to face Odion with a hard look on his face. "I bet you never had anyone who cared about you that way, pal."

"I did," the robed man admitted. "But that was a time so very long ago."

_*Flashback begins*_

_Mr. Ishtar was sound asleep after a hard day of work and study. His wife had been trying to fall asleep but she was having trouble. Feeling restless, she decided to go and take a walk around the underground home. She exited the privacy of the bedroom and walked down the halls. Whilst she was walking, she heard the sound of someone crying. 'Oh my...who could that be?' _ _She was both concerned and alarmed because as far as she knew no one else lived underground except her husband and the other tombkeepers. She kept following the crying and as she got closer, she was able to tell the cries belonged to that of a baby. The closer she got, the louder the cries were. She stopped below the stairwell that led to the surface and she saw a small figure wrapped in cloth, wailing as if he were in pain. She picked up the baby and looked into his eyes. "Oh you poor sweet child...there, there, who would leave you all alone in the cold? It's much warmer down here, my child." Upon hearing the woman's soothing voice, the baby instantly stopped crying. He looked up at her with big eyes as she carried him down to the home she shared with her husband._

_*Flashback ends*_

'_She rescued me from the dark and cared for me as if I were her own. So yes, Mr. Wheeler. I know what it's like to be loved.'_

Keren certainly hoped Odion had not forgotten about the happy moments she shared with him. She wondered if he even knew of her feelings for him. Although she had never outwardly confessed her love, she held on to hope he was intuitive enough to realize it through her actions. _'Joseph, you still have a slim chance to stop this…take advantage of it.'_

"Joey, you always pull through and I know you can beat him!" said Serenity.

Joey turned to his sister and gave a nod, smiling at her. "Thank you sis."

"All right, then," said Odion, putting his serious game face back on. "Are you going to stay on your knees and accept defeat? Or be a fool and prolong your suffering by making a move? I suggest you give up and face reality if you truly want to be an honorable opponent."

Joey swiftly stood up and gave a tough guy look to show he meant business. "I don't think so. If I were a quitter, I would be letting down everyone who had faith in me as well as letting myself down. It's true, I have been in tighter spots, and I still managed to pull through." He thought back to all of the victories that got him to the finals—against Espa Roba, Weevil, and Mako Tsunami. To this day, the hard work he accomplished to win the duels made his heart swell with pride. _'I fought my hardest to get where I am today and I never let anyone get the best of me, even when all hopes seem lost, so why should I start now?'_ "I've got news for you, Marik…you may have managed to knock me down, but it takes a lot more than that to knock me out! I've come to the finals for one reason only…to win, and that's what I'm gonna do! Joey Wheeler is back in the game!"

"Yeah!" agreed Tristan.

Yugi's face brightened. "Way to go!"

"Glad to see you're back to your feisty self," chimed Vicki. "You had me worried for a second."

Joey continued with his trash talking. "Listen up, I defeated three of the toughest duelists to earn my way onto this blimp, you light bulb head! And I'm not gonna let you or your shiny skull stop me from finishing what I started!"

"That's right!" said Serenity.

Mai was relieved to see Joey still had a lot of fight left in him. "You tell him!"

Joey briefly turned to his younger sibling and Mai, grinning at them. "Thanks a lot, you guys! You rock! Not to worry. I'll win this! " He once again faced Odion with a hard look on his face. "It's go time!"

Odion gave the blonde an amused look. "It appears you're more foolish than I thought. It is time for you to lose shamefully. Make your final, pathetic move! Use your last turn well."

"You got it!"

Yami's silhouette appeared next to Yugi. _"Yami, what's up?" _ _Yugi inquired._

"_Now is the time to remind Joey of the importance of his victory." _

"_You're right." _

Yami merged with his weaker half. "Joey, remember, you have the power to help save the world."

'_Oh that's right. If I beat Marik his plans are crushed.'_ "Okay, Marik, your scheme ends here! I promised Yuge that I would help him stop you from achieving whatever sick and twisted goals you and your rare hunters have, Marik! And I'm gonna keep that promise by knocking your bald cranium out of the finals! It's my turn now!" _'Okay, here goes. I really need the right card or else I am toast for sure.'_ He hesitantly pulled a card from his deck, as if he was afraid to draw a useless card. _'Okay, I got a feeling it is a good one. Let's see.'_ He glanced at his card and gave a smug grin. "I hope you're ready to say goodbye to everything!"

"Me? Say goodbye?" questioned Odion. "Nonsense! Your false threats do not frighten me in the least!"

"They will in due time. I set two cards face down and play my Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode!" (1200 def) The tiny little warrior appeared onto the field. "Come and get me if you think you can!" Joey looked very confident.

Odion stared at Joey, amazed by his fighting spirit. _'His determination is surprising. How can he retaliate with only 400 lifepoints? No matter. My serpent swordsmen will easily finish him off.'_

"_What are you waiting for, you incompetent buffoon?" _ Marik chided his henchman. _"Attack him!"_

"Nice try, Mr. Wheeler, but your bluffs will not work on me!" said Odion. "I hope you have enjoyed your brief experience as a Battle City finalist! Now, Embodiments of Apophis, triple attack!"

Yami grunted, desperately hoping Joey's plan would stop Odion.

Joey smiled confidently. "Not so fast! Your snakes are history! First, I activate my Foolish Burial magic card, which lets me place one card from my hand into your graveyard! Next, I reveal my trap card, Graverobber!"

Odion looked on incredulously, not sure what to make of the young man's strategy. "Now you plan to rob my graveyard?"

Joey faked an impressed look. "Wow, did you figure that out all by yourself or did someone hand you a cheat sheet? Yes, Einstein, I'm gonna rob your grave!" The small lavender colored imp appeared, cackling evilly. "I reveal the card I put in there, Jinzo!" (2400 attk)

Odion was practically quivering in his boots when the android being appeared onto the field with its arms folded. "How is it that a weak duelist such as yourself could possess such a powerful monster?" he pondered out loud.

"I remembered your snake creatures are a special breed of monsters that also happen to be trap cards," said Joey, ignoring the rhetorical question asked by Odion. "They have the strength of trap cards but there are weaknesses as well."

Odion couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Weaknesses?!"

"You heard right! Jinzo's special ability allows him to destroy trap cards! Jinzo, do your thing and wipe out his serpents!" Jinzo shot some cyber beams from his eyes at the snakes, destroying them all."You know, I won Jinzo in my first Battle City duel against a real opponent. Although he was a dirty cheater at first, once he played fair he really proved to be an honorable duelist."

"Yeah, that's the way, Joey!" yelled Mai.

"Good job!" Serenity congratulated her brother.

"Yes," mused Yami. "Joey seems to be taking what he has learned from his past victories."

Joey looked at Odion with a smug grin on his face. "Now then, do you still think I'm an amateur or did you learn your lesson?"

Odion hated to admit, it seemed as if he had underestimated Joey's dueling prowess, but he was not going to stroke the ego of the blonde young man. "I'm not through with you yet, Mr. Wheeler! I still have all of my lifepoints."

Joey nearly laughed at the fact that his opponent was still so oblivious and overconfident. "That won't last long, Marik. With my Jinzo on the field, all of your trap cards are useless and now that I got rid of your snakes your lifepoints are wide open!"

"Joey, you go!" Serenity cheered.

Mai was impressed by Joey's monster as well. "I knew you would pull through, now show him who's boss!"

Joey looked proud of himself as he reflected on his accomplishments. _'If it were not for my Battle City victories, I wouldn't be here today. I won Jinzo by defeating Espa Roba and now his card is giving me the strength to beat Marik.'_

"Well well, it seems Wheeler has decided to pick up the pace," commented Kaiba with a small smile on his face. "Perhaps he will keep it together long enough for me to see Marik's Egyptian God card in action after all."

Joey lowered his head briefly. _'Mako, Espa, Weevil…lend me your strength to win this duel.'_ He looked back up, ready to continue his assault. "All right, now I summon Battle Warrior in attack mode!" (700 attk) The pale blue warrior emerged pumping his fists, ready for battle. "But that's not all, because I also switch my Swordsman of Landstar into attack mode! (500 attk) Jinzo, blow a chunk of his lifepoints away with your Cyber Energy Shock attack!" The android monster emitted a burst of black energy ribbons. Odion grimaced in pain as he felt the shock. He lost 2400 lifepoints from the attack, taking him down to 1600 lifepoints. "There's more where that came from. Battle Warrior and Swordsman of Landstar, stick it to him!" The two warrior monsters lunged at the tattooed faced man and flattened him with their blows, which made him groan in pain. He lost 1200 more lifepoints, taking him down to four hundred.

Tèa started to jump up and down. "Yeah, Joey brought Marik's lifepoints down to four hundred."

"Yup, now they're even!" Vicki could still feel chills going down her spine from watching Joey's attacks. _'Dang I wish my best friend was here...she would love this.'_

"You're the man, Joey!" yelled Tristan. "Now finish him off!"

A big smile returned to Serenity's face. "I knew you could do it! You rock!"

Keren was able to manage a small smile for the first time since the duel had begun. _'Excellent work, Joseph. I knew you would succeed. Continue to be unwavering in your efforts.'_ Although she found herself cringing each time Odion was hit by a direct attack, she knew it was part of the game. _'As much as I hate the idea of not being the one to stop Odion, perhaps I do need assistance to save him.'_

"You don't feel like such a tough guy now, do you?" mocked Joey. "You'll have to do better than playing a bunch of traps to defeat me."

Odion remained expressionless in spite of the onslaught on his lifepoints and it hurt his pride to acknowledge that Joey had given him a real challenge. "Attack me all you want. You can't win. Remember, my Temple of the Kings magic card is still in play, and it has many surprises inside waiting to be revealed when the time is right."

"Ha! Your palace doesn't frighten me! I am just getting started and plan to get even tougher on you! So go ahead and bring whatever it is you plan to throw at me!"

"With great pleasure, foolish boy." Odion drew a card from his deck. _'Hmm…excellent card. This will block the attacks from his monsters and also allow me to prepare for the arrival of my all powerful beast. Mr. Wheeler, your winning streak is about to end.'_

The entire time Marik was watching his servant be outwitted by Joey he was gritting his teeth. He did not appreciate his plan being foiled one bit._ "Listen to me, Odion. You have allowed Joey Wheeler to come too far! Destroy him at once or face severe consequences! He's worthless, you fool! Now finish him off!"_

Odion always got anxious whenever his master became impatient with him but this time he wasn't too worried. _"Not to worry, Master. I won't disappoint you. In fact, I already have a plan to stop his monsters in their tracks." _

_"For your sake, it had better work."_

Joey tapped his foot. "Let's go, potato head, what's the hold up? Have you realized I'm gonna kick your butt?"

"This should hold you up! I play my Swords of Revealing Light!" Blinding bright yellow swords rained down in front of the monsters, blocking any movement from them.

Joey's eyes bugged out. "What? Oh no!"

"That's not good," said Mai. "Joey won't be able to attack for 3 whole turns."

"You do believe he can still win, right?" asked Tèa.

"I hope so," answered Mai thoughtfully. "However, not being able to attack for three turns will only hurt his chances. He is going to have to find a way to hold on and protect himself."

"That's true Mai, but Joey can still sacrifice his weaker monsters to summon stronger ones, and although his Jinzo can't attack, its special effect still applies so Marik's trap cards are useless," pointed out Yami.

Keren's smile disappeared and turned into a look of worry. _'Stay strong, Joseph.'_

"Make your move," said Odion.

"Gladly!" Joey drew a card from his deck, looked at it and smiled. _'Awesome! Another one of the rare monsters I won. Chrome-dome thinks he has me cornered, but he has never faced a duelist like me before. He's not winning this duel even if I have to go down with him!'_ "I may not be able to attack you right now, but I can still do this! I sacrifice my Battle Warrior in order to summon the Legendary Fisherman!" (1850 attk) The fisherman sitting on his shark appeared. Seeing him made Joey remember his promise to Mako. _'I know how much this card meant to you, Mako, and I promised you I would use it well.'_ "I also switch my monsters to defense mode!"

"Prepare to lose everything!" Odion drew a card, chuckling evilly. He glanced at the card and looked astonished. He wasn't expecting to have it in his possession at all.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

* * *

The card Odion held in his hand was none other than an Egyptian God card—The Winged Dragon of Ra. He carefully examined it to make sure he was not hallucinating…unfortunately he wasn't. Unbeknownst to him, it was one of the duplicates that had been made when the tournament first began.

"_Why are you so surprised, Odion? In order for you to convince everyone you are me, you should have my card in your deck, right?" Marik reminded his henchman. "That's why I slipped it into your deck before the duel."_

For the first time, Odion began to have a very uneasy feeling about his master's plan. Not that he was ever very keen on following the darkness, but this was just too much. _"But Master…this card is too dangerous," he protested. "I'm not meant to control its great power. You can't possibly expect me to play it. Please reconsider. I beg of you."_

"_Stop whimpering!"_ Marik scolded. _"You sound pitiful! I command you to play that card! It's the only way to win this duel! You must place it within the ancient arc on the temple steps. When the time is right, you will release its rage."_

Odion winced and his hand trembled. He was facing quite the dilemma. He had never disobeyed his master before, for fear of what the tombkeeper was capable of once his wrath was intense. However, he didn't want to put his or Joey's life at risk either. _'What shall I do?'_

Joey folded his arms and tapped his foot. _'This guy really knows how to test my patience. I can't stand it!'_ "Hey, I don't have time to be waiting around! I have a duel to win!"

Odion thought of a move he could make whilst figuring out what to do about Marik's orders. "First I place this card face down on the playing field! Now prepare yourself, Mr. Wheeler, for the next card I play will be the final instrument of your destruction!"

Marik gave an evil smirk. _"Do it, Odion!" he urged. "Play the card I added to your deck right now. As soon as you place it within the ancient arc on the temple steps, you'll be invincible, and if you refuse to play it, you'll have to answer to me. The choice is yours, Odion. Don't be a fool." _

Odion still had his doubts, but his fear of being sent to the Shadow Realm was even greater. _'I must obey Master is my duty as his protector.'_

Tèa eyed Odion's facial expression and was unsure what to make of it. _'I wonder what's on his mind.'_ "Check out Marik, you guys. He looks really freaked out. I wonder what has him so scared."

'_I think Tèa's right. Ever since Marik had drawn his latest card, he has been acting really strange. I wonder if it has something to do with the box that has the ancient symbols on it. For some reason they look familiar to me but I'm not sure why,'_ thought Yugi._ 'Hang in there, Joey.'_

Keren pursed her lips, concerned about the expression etched on Odion's face. _'Odion seems troubled…what does this mean? Is it because he now regrets his actions? I certainly hope so, but with the way he has been behaving it seems as if he does not remember I am present.'_

"Hey! What's taking you so long to complete your move?!" asked Joey, exasperated. "What are you waiting for, Christmas?!"

"Good moves take time but that is something your miniscule brain cannot comprehend," retorted the caped man. "Now I seal this card within the sacred arc of the temple!" As he played the card, it emitted a golden aura.

"What the heck?" questioned Joey, looking puzzled.

"You have no idea what I just did by sealing this card within the sacred arc. By sealing this card of the gods, I have also sealed your fate," Odion informed the blonde.

Yami's eyes widened at Odion's words. "Card of the Gods?" he repeated. He knew what those words meant and had a very bad feeling. _'He's going to play his Egyptian God card, the Winged Dragon of Ra. If Joey faces its wrath, he could be hurt. I hope he could wipe out the rest of Marik's lifepoints before he plays it. '_

"That ends my turn," said Odion.

Marik looked at his henchman, smiling. _'Wise move, Odion. I would hate to have let you feel my wrath.'_

"Finally. It's my now, so look out! I play my magic card, Monster Reborn. I'll use him to bring back my Alligator's Sword! Next, I sacrifice my Alligator's Sword and Swordsman of Landstar so I can summon my Insect Queen!"(2200 attk) The large female cockroach monster appeared onto the field, giving a shrill battle cry. _'I won this card from a feisty little germ named Weevil Underwood. My Battle City victories are paying off right now. Those duels got me three incredible monsters. '_

Vicki made a disgusted face and clicked her tongue. _'I still think she's repulsive but since she belongs to Joey I suppose I could learn to like her.'_

Kaiba smiled, genuinely impressed. "My tournament has done wonders for Wheeler's deck." _'I have to admit his performance is even better than I expected it to be. If I had known he was able to hold his own this well perhaps I would have invited him myself, for he would find a way to enter whether I invited him or not.'_

Mai looked on in awe. "Look at that. Joey was able to summon every rare monster he won in the tournament all at once." Seeing this caused a big grin to spread on her face as she wanted some real competition if she made it to the finals and Joey was proving to be just that.

"Yes," agreed Yami. "Joey has come a long way as a duelist since the Battle City tournament began, Mai."

"I can see that."

Joey smiled as he eyed 3 of his best monsters on the field, side by side. "You're in for it now, Marik! Your Swords of Revealing Light will lose their power next turn, and when that happens, nothing will be holding my monsters back! And since you don't have anything to protect you, you're finished!"

Odion shook his head. _'This boy is so delusional it is pathetic.'_ "You think just because you managed to summon a few high level monsters you can defeat me! Well, you are sadly mistaken! I am about to summon a beast that is virtually indestructible!"

"What?" Joey face palmed. _'This guy has to be bluffing…whatever he has hidden in that arc sounds bad enough, although I don't know what it is.'_

"Trapping your monsters with my magic card enabled me to prepare for the arrival of my great creature, which has been protected by my all-powerful Temple of the Kings!"

Joey was becoming weary of Odion's verbose explanations. "Say that again with fewer words!"

"You can't win, once I play this!" Odion played Cup of Sealed Souls. "I will also reveal my face down card, Seal of Serket! Once these cards are played along with Temple of Kings, they are able to awaken a great creature, a being like no other!"

Joey was trembling with fear now. He tried to tell himself nothing could be worse than the Egyptian God monsters, but that did little to help. "What is it?"

"Patience! You will soon find out! Please hear my call, guardian of the temple! Mystical Beast of Serket, I summon thee!" (2500 attk)

Just as Tristan and the remainder of the gang were beginning to become unsettled by what was going on, a large brown coloured, scorpion-like creature with sharp pointy teeth emerged from the palace and crept down the stairs. The creature opened its mouth, as if to show its hunger.

Vicki's face started to turn green. _'At this rate I'm gonna lose my dinner. Good thing I took my Dramamine.'_

Joey proceeded to sweat nervously and he clenched his teeth. _'This is the thing Marik was yapping about? He's worse than I thought, and not just because he's so ugly, either.' _ "That thing is tremendous! What am I gonna do?"

"You're very frightened, I see. Well, I'll have you know that this creature is minute compared to what lies within the sacred arc," said Odion.

"Then tell me now!" demanded the blonde. "What monster did you hide inside that arc, Marik?"

"Within the sacred arc lies my Egyptian God monster, the Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Everyone watching the duel gasped. Kaiba was filled with more excitement than dread, for he had wanted to see the monster in action for a long time. _'That's right, Wheeler, struggle until he calls upon his Egyptian God.'_

The sight of the large scorpion monster made Joey shudder. '_With that thing outside, and his Egyptian God monster inside, there's no way I can win! I think there is one card in my deck that can help but who knows if I will be lucky enough to draw it in time?'_

Keren observed with a grim expression. _'Things look very bad now, and it's not the Mystical Beast of Serket that really worries me, but the Egyptian God card he has played for later. I have a bad feeling what he played was a copy of the card, for I doubt very much that Marik would want to risk losing the original.'_ The very thought of Odion summoning the Winged Dragon of Ra brought back the memories of when the unworthy rare hunters were testing copies of the cards and got struck down by the rage. _'I certainly hope Odion does not end up hurt or killed by it, like they were.'_ The thought of Odion dying in the same fashion the rare hunters did made tears sting at the young woman's eyes. She said a silent prayer that both duelists would be safe, even if Odion did play the card. _'Maybe he will fare better than the weaker rare hunters.'_

'_Snap out of it, Joey! You can't start doubting yourself now! That's exactly what Marik wants you to do,'_ scolded a voice inside the blonde's head. "So you summoned a super-powerful monster onto the field, big deal! Don't count me out just yet! I'll find some way to take down that over-sized scorpion!"

"That would be quite an achievement considering it has more attack points than either of your monsters," responded Odion. "The question is, which is the first it should devour? And it's pointless for you to try and stop my ancient creature, because there's not a card in your deck powerful enough to do it."

Tèa muttered to herself about what a pompous windbag Odion was. She turned to Mai. "Please say he's wrong…I can't stand the thought of this creep winning the duel!"

Mai sighed."I wish I could say that, but there are only a handful of monsters that can take out that scorpion, and I don't think Joey has any of them…it's possible he can win, but it'll be tough."

"Hey Yugi?" spoke up Serenity timidly. "My brother can still win, right?"

"Yes," answered the spirit of the puzzle. "Even though Marik has the upper hand, Joey can still beat him. He just needs to find the weakness of the mystical beast before it wipes out the rest of his life points."

"Yes, but what about the card he hid inside the arc?" inquired Mai. "That poses more of a threat than this hideous scorpion monster."

"Yes. Joey must find a way to wipe out the remainder of Marik's lifepoints before he summons it. As it stands now they are even but who knows how long it will last?"

Although Odion had done as his master said, he still had doubts about actually using the Winged Dragon of Ra card to win the duel as he felt his deck was powerful enough without it. He made eye contact with Marik. _"Master Marik, why did you place your Egyptian God card in my deck?"_

Marik smiled a deadly smile. _"If you're going to deceive these fools into believing you are me, you should duel as I would. Of course the card I slipped into your deck is merely a copy of the original. I could not risk losing the most powerful card in creation, so as you remember, I had my rare hunters create copies. These forgeries are equally as dangerous and powerful." _ He recalled the incident where the weaker henchmen tested the copies and angered the Egyptian God monster in the process. "_Needless to say many of my obedient servants were injured while testing the copies and eventually perished. Eventually I realized only those connected to the ancient scriptures can control an Egyptian God card. I have no doubt, Odion, that you will be successful when you play it!"_

Although it was true Odion had more experience with the ancient scriptures than his colleagues did, he still wasn't convinced playing the card was safe, especially if it was a fake one. _"Thank you for your confidence, Master Marik, but I'm sure I can win this duel without it."_ He hoped he would be able to prove that to Marik. _'If I endanger anyone's life, I would not be able to forgive myself.'_

Keren remembered the day Marik spoke of very well-the thunder, the rare hunters being struck down…everything._ 'That was one of the most horrifying days of my life. It was a miracle I didn't have many nightmares.'_ She wondered if the request to play the card was why Odion had appeared troubled. _'With Marik's behavior over the past six years, I would not be surprised if he refused to take the two duelists' safety into account. I trust you to do what you know in your heart is right, Odion. I have prayed to the gods to guide you on the right path once again. '_

Odion looked up and faced Joey, ready to continue with his destruction. "All right, Mr. Wheeler, it's time to make your final move before my Serket finishes you off for good!"

"I don't think so! It is you who's going down!" Joey shot back. "Here I go! I play…" Joey pulled a card from his deck, hoping it would be one that would help him defeat the scorpion-like monster. Much to his utter dismay, the card he drew was Polymerization. "I'll just leave my three monsters in defense mode and take my chances!" At that instant, the Swords of Revealing Light disappeared. _'At least the swords are gone…having my monsters trapped was a pain in the rear.'_

"What's his strategy, Mai?" asked Tèa.

"Right now all he can do is buy himself a little time," answered Mai. _'He needs to draw a good card and fast. '_

"A desperate move! Well it's not going to help you any longer! Feel the fury of my ancient creature! Attack his Jinzo, now!" The scorpion-like creature grabbed onto the android monster with its claws and devoured it. As the monster attacked, it also changed its shape, growing the same long neck Jinzo had. Its attack strength also increased to three thousand seven hundred and fifty. "As you may be able to tell, when my monster attacks, it is also able to absorb half of the attack points of the monster it attacks!"

Joey's jaw dropped open in alarm. "It can't be!"

"Oh but it can! So as I'm sure you can see, that's what makes my creature virtually unstoppable."

Joey finally realized the direness of the situation, but he was not going to make the mistake of considering giving up again, for there was too much at stake for that. "That wasn't the only side effect...it's bigger and uglier too," he commented dryly.

Most of the people watching made squeamish faces. Vicki's face started to turn green. This time she couldn't contain the nauseous feeling. She took out a plastic bag, turned away from the others and made a mess in the bag.

Tèa frowned when she heard the noises. She turned to her friend. "Vicki? Are you all right?"

Vicki didn't want to worry anyone by admitting that the monster's ability was making her feel squeamish. So she simply answered, "Yes, I'm all right, Lassie. It's just a mild case of motion sickness. Nothing a couple of Tums cannot cure."

Tèa furrowed her brow, not convinced. "Okay then. Well you can always go back inside if you're not feeling well."

"No I feel fine."

"Okay." Tèa still wasn't convinced.

Vicki took out two Tums, placed them on her tongue and started to suck on them. _'Hope this helps because I don't know if there's any food left to take more Dramamine.'_ She put on her sunglasses so she wouldn't have to see as much.

Tèa turned her attention back to the duel in an attempt to take her mind off the repulsiveness of the creature. _'After all we're supposed to be supporting Joey here.' _ "If he continues destroying Joey's monsters, that means…"

"The attack strength of Marik's monster will just continue to increase," continued Mai.

"Until it's too late," added Yami.

"You're not scaring anyone, baldy." Joey drew a card from his deck, glanced at it and gave a half-smile. _'Awesome! I drew Gilford the Lightning! This would have been the perfect card for me to take down that over-sized scorpion, because his special ability lets him destroy all monsters on the field no matter how powerful they are but there's just one small problem. I need to sacrifice 3 monsters to activate the ability and I only have two monsters on the field now. Unfortunately, there are no weaker monsters in my hand for me to play now.'_ "Marik, you've gotten lucky because now I have to pass. But next turn I will take you down, so you had better watch out! Now go!"

Odion smirked. "I will. The pleasure is all mine! Now my beast, annihilate his Insect Queen!" The monster grabbed onto Insect Queen, inhaling her and once again, mutating and gaining 1200 more attack points. This time Joey's friends were smart enough to look away.

It was all Joey could do not to squirm. _'Oh man, I desperately need to draw a good card on my next turn or else it's all over for me.'_

"You're down to only one monster, Mr. Wheeler, and then you'll be defenseless!" stated Odion.

'_Well, it appears Odion is going to succeed, but I do not blame you Joseph, for you have tried your best.' _Keren, looking grim, said another silent prayer that a miracle would happen and things would work out in the blonde's favor.

"Hang in there, Joey!" cheered Tèa.

"Yeah, this joker has nothing on you!" chimed Mai.

"Farewell," said Odion in a sinister voice.

Serenity could bear it no more. Her faith in her brother was unwavering but the duel had been like a roller coaster. She knew of him being in trouble before, but never to this level. And Odion's behavior wasn't helping the matter at all. "Oh, I can't watch anymore of this! It's just too much for me to handle!" She started to leave the arena.

Joey heard his sister's whimpering and her footsteps. He knew it meant she decided she couldn't watch him duel anymore and he couldn't have that as he needed all the moral support he could get. He turned to face her. "Serenity, wait! Don't leave me now! I need ya! I can't get through this duel without you here. You're my biggest inspiration, Serenity!"

Serenity stopped in her tracks, shocked by her brother's words. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do! Where do you think I get all my courage from? From you. You're my family. So you've gotta stay here and cheer me on. It's the only way I can win this duel."

"You've got it, Big Brother!" Feeling better, Serenity headed back to the arena to continue watching the duel.

Odion looked thoughtful, hearing the words exchanged between Joey and his sister, and found their bond to be touching, and he hoped someday he would experience that feeling once again. _'It has been so long, but I have known comfort like that. Families can chase away shadows of fear, like a light from above. I was only an infant, but I remember when I felt the light for the first time. Lady Ishtar took me beneath the desert sands, to raise me as if I were her own. All was peaceful, until the day I learned the family's secret for the first time.'_

_*Flashback begins*_

_Four year old Odion lay in his bed, wide awake. He had been trying to fall asleep, but he had trouble as his parents were having a discussion just outside his bedroom door and didn't take it upon themselves to lower their voices. He decided he would just listen and hope sleep would come to him then. _

_Mr. Ishtar faced his wife, looking very grim-the same expression he wore when he was worried about something. "For generations our clan has been guarding the pharaoh's tomb. I feel our time will end soon and we do not have any children. Who is going to watch over the millennium necklace and rod after our deaths? We cannot fail Pharaoh now." _

_Lady Ishtar had that "what are you talking about" look in her eyes she gave people with selective memories and stated, "We do have Odion. He can carry on our legacy. Why don't you give him the tombkeepers' initiation?" _

_Mr. Ishtar got a cold look in his eyes at the mention of the young lad's name and he set his mouth in a very thin line."I already told you Odion is not our flesh and blood. I will not break tradition by entrusting him with such an important mission." _

_Lady Ishtar's eyes narrowed a bit. She found it atrocious how discriminatory her mate was to their adopted son, but she didn't want to start an argument. "He's our only hope. It was fate that brought him to us on the day he was born. There is no guarantee I will conceive. Please give him the tombkeepers' initiation on his tenth birthday."_

_As much as the older man hated to admit it, his wife brought up a valid point, and he knew she loved Odion like her own. He nodded yes to appease her, all the while hoping Ra would bless them with children of their own. _

_Odion fell asleep with a grin on his face. He had been impressed by their job and was very excited about the possibility of doing the same thing. He felt a bit of disappointment by his adopted father's objection, but was optimistic his wish would come true with Lady Ishtar around, for she wouldn't stand for him being mistreated by her mate. _

_*Next day*_

_Lady Ishtar waited for her husband to step out, and called Odion to the study. She hadn't wanted him to hear what she was going to discuss with the young lad, lest he might change his mind. Odion went to see what his adopted mother had to say. "Yes Mother?"_

_The older woman filled Odion in on the discussion she had with her husband the night before about who would be the next tombkeeper, and her husband's doubts about him being the possible one. Odion nodded, not wanting his mother to know he had overheard them talking while he was trying to fall asleep. _

"_As you know, my dear Odion, I have always thought of you as my son. But you cannot become a tombkeeper until you receive the initiation. You will have this rite on your tenth birthday."_

_Odion looked at his mother with big, excited and eager eyes. "How will this change me?"_

"_You will know all of that in due time, that is, if you still want to be a tombkeeper." _

"_Of course I want to. Mother, does that mean I'll be like you and Father?"_

"_Yes, dear," answered Lady Ishtar. "You will finally be our son." She hoped with all her heart Mr. Ishtar would finally accept him as flesh and blood. _

_Many months later, Lady Ishtar gave birth to a baby girl, which was a pleasant surprise to her just when she didn't think she would ever have children. Not that she was complaining, since she considered Odion to be a true blessing. She held the baby on her bed for her husband to see. "She's beautiful, and her name shall be Ishizu." _

_The surly man gave a small smile at this miracle. "Finally, now all we need is a son." He took the birth of Ishizu as an answer to the many prayers he had petitioned to the gods for so many years. He was optimistic his wish for a son would be granted sooner or later and then he would do everything in his power to show Odion he was not a true member of the family, regardless of what his wife said. _

_Odion was the best big brother he could be to Ishizu, always looking out for her even when he was not asked to. He enjoyed the big brother role very much. He would get to assume that role again, because four years later, Lady Ishtar gave birth again. Mr. Ishtar stood by the bed, witnessing the event with a small smile on his face. He was confident that his second prayer had finally been answered. _

"_It's a boy," confirmed the woman. "Hold him, dear."_

_Mr. Ishtar's smile grew wider as he picked up the infant boy. "Finally, a true heir. We shall call him Marik. Come, my son." He carried Marik away, not paying attention to the fact that Lady Ishtar was experiencing the negative effects of afterbirth. _

_Odion took Ishizu's hand and led her over to the older woman so they could check up on her. "Are you all right, Mother?"_

"_I will be. I'm just tired," Lady Ishtar answered weakly. After she said those words, breathing was becoming a struggle. She reached out to take Odion's hand. "Promise me you will look after your brother and sister." With that, she expired. _

_Overcome with emotion and shock, Odion took his deceased mother's hand in his. "I promise, Mother." He felt he owed it to her, since she had been kind to him for as long as he could remember._

* * *

_Following Lady Ishtar's passing, Odion kept his promise to her to always look out for his siblings. Her husband had become even harsher and had taken to treating the young lad as a slave and sworn enemy, but his devotion never wavered as he would have kept his promise whether the older man was hard to please or not. _

_However, Odion secretly harbored feelings of jealously and resentment towards Marik for being a true heir and he still wanted to be a tombkeeper, despite his father's objections. He was able to keep his feelings of ill-will hidden, though, for he knew he would not hear the end of it if he allowed harm to come to Marik—that is, until one day he started to concoct a plan to make him aware that he resented him. _

_Marik and Odion were playing catch outside. Marik was pretty average at it for a nine year old, but playing against his elder brother was proving difficult as he missed several. However, he was still having fun. _

"_I'll get the ball, Big Brother!" volunteered the little boy after another miss. He ran to get it. Luckily, the ball had not gone far. "Here it is!" He went to pick it up, but unbeknownst to him, there was a baby cobra nearby. The creature sunk its fangs into his ankle, making him cry out in pain and collapse._

_Odion heard his younger brother's cries. "Oh no! Marik!" He raced over to the young lad to see him sitting on the ground, crying hysterically and a serpent was just several feet away from him. _

"_Help! The snake bit me!"_

_Odion promptly took out a small knife and threw it at the snake, skewering it. He then bent over and scooped up the young boy, who was beginning to feel the effects of the venom. His stomach was beginning to feel queasy and his forehead felt hot, not to mention the area on his leg where he had been bitten was still hurting. He carried Marik to the bedroom and laid him inside the bed with the intention of tending to him before his father found out. He felt Marik's forehead and realized the young lad had a fever. He got a cloth and made a compressor that would help break the fever. Whilst he was placing the compressor on Marik's forehead, Mr. Ishtar strode into the bedroom. He looked at Odion, the barely conscious Marik, and his eyes filled with fury. _

"_What has happened to my son?" the older man demanded to know. "You had better have a good explanation for his condition or you will face severe consequences!"_

_Odion gulped. He didn't know what to say. He could explain what happened, but he knew there was no guarantee he would be exempted from a punishment and chances were he would be blamed for what happened, just like always._

"_Well?" Mr. Ishtar placed his hands on his hips, waiting for an answer._

_Odion looked his father and master in the eye, just barely managing to keep eye contact with him. He held back a shudder seeing the man's glare. If looks could kill, he would have died that very instant. "While we were outside playing Master Marik was bitten by a serpent."_

_Mr. Ishtar's glare turned into a look of rage. "What?! You were supposed to be watching him!" _

"_I was watching him, sir. Neither he or I were aware the serpent was nearby." _

"_I do not want to hear your feeble excuse! You will be severely punished for your incompetence! Wait here!" _

_Odion stood in a corner, sweating nervously and quivering with fear. He knew just what his punishment would be—feeling the wrath of his master's whip. He had felt the wrath of it once before and it did not feel like heaven, to say the least. From that moment on, he did everything in his power to avoid it and now here again he was going to have to face the dreaded punishment because of an accident. He said a prayer that maybe Mr. Ishtar would go easy on him this time around, although he knew it would be useless to expect._

_Mr. Ishtar returned a few moments later with the disciplinary switch. Odion started to back away but a glare from the older man forced him to freeze. The young man braced himself for a severe beating. And severe it was. Mr. Ishtar raised his whip and lashed the young man in the shoulders and back, making him cry out in pain. "I did not allow you into my home to be such a miserable failure!" yelled the senior tombkeeper._

"_I'm very sorry, Master," said Odion, ignoring the pain in his shoulders and back. _

"_Sorry isn't good enough to change the condition of my son, whom you vowed to protect!" snapped Mr. Ishtar, lashing at his servant again and again. At this point Odion was bleeding and his clothing was torn. The older man grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall once he was done with the assault. "If anything happens to my son I will dig your heart out and rip it! You had better not leave his side until his fever has broken and he has recovered." In a flourish, he exited the room. _

_Odion decided he had enough. Besides the harsh punishments he had to endure if there was just one little screw up, he was sick of taking second place to Marik. He took out the small knife he had used to kill the snake with and walked towards the young boy in his bed, intending to stab him to death whilst he was clinging to consciousness. _

_Still a bit groggy and very weak, Marik opened his eyes. "It's my fault you're hurt. I'm so sorry, Big Brother."_

_In shock, Odion immediately dropped the knife. He never thought Marik felt that way about him. "Did you just call me brother? What would your father say if he heard you call me that?"_

"_Forget him. I have always considered you my brother ever since I was born." Marik smiled weakly. He reached out a hand to his designated protector. _

_Odion was overcome with emotion hearing those words. Eyeing the ailing little boy in his bed, he began to feel guilty for even thinking of murdering him, much less actually executing the action. Plus he knew Mr. Ishtar would have his hide if he did. His feelings of hatred and jealousy disappeared in an instant. He reached out and took Marik's small hand into his much larger ones and teardrops fell. "I promise not to fail you again, Master Marik. Please forgive me. I will always protect you."_

"_Thank you, Brother." Exhausted, Marik drifted off to sleep. Odion remained by his bedside and did everything he could to treat the young boy's high fever._

* * *

_Ever since Marik's accident and resulting illness, Odion had become devoted to being his protector more than before, making sure no harm came to him and also was his rock when he was studying the ancient scriptures in preparation for receiving the tombkeeper's initiation. _

_Marik was becoming increasingly nervous and terrified as his tenth birthday drew nigh for he knew what it meant. He didn't dare tell his father that, though, for the older man wouldn't stand for it if he thought his son was backing out. So he endured the endless studying and kept quiet about the misery he was feeling. _

_Eventually, Marik's fear was so extensive that he grew very moody and he was barely able to eat. As he sat at the table reading, the words hadn't sunk in and were not making any sense, so it looked like he was just staring at the book. He was in such a foul mood that when Odion entered holding a tray of food, he barely acknowledged his presence. _

"_Master Marik, I have brought you dinner, if you care to take a rest from your studies," said Odion. _

_Although the young boy didn't want to look at another ancient scripture for as long as he lived, the thought of eating was just as unappealing. "I'm not hungry." He sat there and sulked. _

"_But you need to eat. At least have some soup," coaxed Odion. _

_Marik's temper rose. "I said I'm not hungry!" he huffed, knocking the tray of food out of his elder brother's hands. _

_A bit stunned, Odion bent down to clean up the mess. He had never seen his little brother this grumpy before. "Is something the matter, Master Marik?"_

_Marik noticed Odion's facial expression and his scowl softened a bit when he realized he had lashed out at his protector without meaning to. He felt like he could confide in him and not be chastised. "I'm sorry Odion. It's just that I'm worried about the tombkeeper's initiation. It will be my job to wait here for the pharaoh to return."_

_Odion nodded as if to show he remembered, and he was listening. He felt like a fool for not picking up on that possibility, but then Marik had kept quiet about it for quite some time. _

"_Oh why did I have to be the son of a tombkeeper?" Marik continued to vent. "I have heard that the initiation is extremely painful. I don't think I'll be able to bear it. Not to mention I will be stuck down here for the rest of my life. Just thinking about these turn of events terrify me. I know it is tradition, that it's my destiny. But why? Why do I have to suffer so much for this pharaoh? It isn't fair!" He started to weep bitterly. _

_It broke Odion's heart to see his master in distress. He had just finished cleaning up the mess. He rested a hand on Marik's shoulder. "Let me do it. Your family saved me and now is my chance to save you from a life of pain as well as darkness within the pharaoh's tomb." _

_Marik's face lit up a bit and his tears subsided. "Really?"_

"_I would be honored. I shall ask for your father's consent right now." Odion exited the room. _

_For the first time in several weeks, Marik felt hopeful that the burdens would be lifted and he managed a small smile at the thought. He closed his book, thinking he would give it to his elder brother if all went well._

* * *

_Odion knocked on the door of his adopted father's study. He was a little nervous since he knew the older man was not the most approachable or reasonable person in the world and treated him badly on top of it. But he was hopeful maybe Mr. Ishtar would soften once he mentioned his true motive. _

"_Enter," a less than welcoming voice answered._

_Odion expected such coldness given the senior tombkeeper's hatred and disrespect towards him, so he wasn't surprised. He gulped and entered the study, gathering his thoughts and trying to remain composed. _

_Mr. Ishtar eyed the young man, not too pleased to see him. "This had better be good, Odion."_

_Odion ignored his adopted father's hostility and knelt down respectfully. "Please forgive me if I have disturbed you, Master, but I have come to ask a favor of you."_

_Mr. Ishtar raised his eyebrows slightly. "A favor, you say? And what might that be?"_

_Odion took a deep breath as he answered, "I would like to be tombkeeper in place of Master Marik."_

"_You want to be a tombkeeper?" Mr. Ishtar furrowed his eyebrows as he processed the request. And the more he thought about it, the more angered he felt, partly because Odion actually had the nerve to make such a request._

"_Yes sir." Odion was becoming increasingly nervous by Mr. Ishtar's silence as he had no idea what the older man was thinking. All he knew was that the facial expression was giving him an uneasy feeling._

"_Absolutely not!" answered Mr. Ishtar gruffly. "My family's sacred duty can only be passed on to a true heir. I will not break tradition!"_

_Odion flinched a bit at the tone, but decided to try and reason with the senior tombkeeper anyway. "I know I'm not your real son, but Master Marik is too frightened to go through with the initiation. I can't bear to see him this way. Give me a chance to repay the family for taking me in. I will devote my life so Master Marik will be free." _

_There was another period of awkward silence between the two gentlemen which gave Odion false hope that he had managed to convince his superior. _

_But Mr. Ishtar gritted his teeth and threw a small burning candle at the young man. Surprised, Odion managed to get out of the way of the flames but just barely. _

"_Idiot!" spouted the older man. "You dare to ask to be treated as real blood? You're nothing more than a servant and that's how you will be treated! My son will receive the initiation as planned and that's final! If you speak of this again, I will cut your tongue! Am I clear?"_

_Odion was stunned. It seemed his adopted father's temper was becoming more and more vicious the older he got. The thought of having his tongue cut out didn't appeal to him so he opted to just drop the subject. "Yes Master."_

"_Now get out of my sight!" barked Mr. Ishtar. _

_Odion got up and left the study without much of a word. He had no regrets trying but he was sorry he would have to tell Marik such bad news that he would have to go through with the initiation after all._

* * *

_A week or so later, it was Marik's tenth birthday and also the day he would receive the tombkeeper's initiation. He wasn't very cooperative during the preparations and it took some coaxing from Odion for him to endure it from those responsible and even then, there was a lot of reluctance. When he was taken away for the actual initiation, it took two men to keep him from trying to escape. "Help! I don't want to be a tombkeeper! Ah, please, help me! Odion, stop them!"_

_Odion stood in the hall with his head bowed low, feeling saddened that he was not in any position to help his master and thought about how all of his efforts to save his master had failed miserably. It was even more devastating to hear all of Marik's cries of pain as his back was being carved, his father smiling evilly as he did it. He suddenly thought of a way to show his support to Marik. He took out a knife, which was part of the plan he had in mind._

_All the pain and suffering had put Marik in such a state of fury that in a fit of rage, he had grabbed his study book which contained the ancient scriptures and threw it at the wall, ripping some of its pages. He knew he would have hell to pay for that if his father found out but he didn't care. _

_At the moment Marik was lying in his bed, still reeling from the effects of the initiation. His pain was so intense he wanted to just die. Not even the bandages were enough to soothe the agonizing pain. Odion entered the room to change his bandages. Also, his own face was covered with bandages that concealed something he wanted to show his younger brother. Not even his presence was enough to appease Marik. Instead of greeting his elder brother cheerfully, he just said, "My life has changed forever." _

"_Yes. You're a tombkeeper now," said Odion. _

"_Just go!" The last thing Marik wanted was to be reminded of the one task he despised. All of a sudden he felt a sharp pain in his head. "I'm sorry. I feel so alone. Why should I pledge my life to some pharaoh?"_

_Odion frowned slightly when he noticed how venomous Marik sounded. It was a bit scary too because he had heard Marik voice his displeasure over being a tombkeeper plenty of times, but never on this level. He had a feeling something must have happened whilst he was receiving the initiation. _

_Marik glanced up at his protector and saw the bandages on his face. "What happened to your face, Odion?"_

"_As you know I'm forbidden to join this clan so I performed my own ritual," explained the young man, removing the bandages from his face and revealing an ancient symbol similar to what had been carved on Marik's back. "I hope this mark proves my loyalty to your family, sir. You're not alone." _

_Marik was relieved to hear that he had Odion's support, but it did little to calm his feelings of bitterness and hatred. _

_*Flashback ends*_


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

* * *

Reflecting on the past made Odion regret following the darkness even more. He also remembered his last conversation with Keren, when he had assured her he also wanted Marik's good side to shine once again and they would rebuild their relationship when that task was complete. He decided he couldn't go on this way for much longer. _'Sometime after this duel, I shall tell Marik the truth about his past…I have shielded him from it long enough.'_ Unbeknownst to the tattooed face young man, Keren and Ishizu had already revealed the truth to Marik. Thinking about all this caused him to nearly forget about his battle with Joey.

Marik noticed his servant's mind seemed to be wandering, and found it unbecoming of him. _"Odion, you fool!" _ he chided. _"What are you waiting for? Finish off Joey Wheeler so we could move on to our real opponents. We must defeat Yugi and Kaiba and obtain their Egyptian God cards so I can destroy the pharaoh by taking his power!"_

Odion gave a slight nod to show he understood his master's order. He was still determined to prove he didn't need an Egyptian God card to win, and so far he was doing an excellent job.

Joey was still thinking of a way to win and besides the possibility with his Gilford the Lightning card, he was at a loss for what to do. _'I guess I'm just gonna have to rely on the Heart of the Cards this time around. I am sure it will let me draw something useful.'_ His friends continued to yell encouraging words to him, which fired him up a little more.

"Surrender," urged Odion in a condescending tone. "You're helpless against my Mystical Beast!"

"Whatever, Marik. You're crazy if you think I'm gonna give up." Joey drew a card, desperately hoping for one that would help. He frowned deeply when he saw it was another magic card. _'Just great. I was hoping for another monster but all I have are two useless magic cards and a monster too powerful to summon without making a sacrifice.'_ "I'll just leave my fisherman in defense mode and take my chances."

"Smart move," commented Odion. "However, forfeiting would have been an even smarter move."

"Zip it, Marik!" snapped Joey. "You might look creepy, but I'm not scared. There is no way I'll lose. My sister can finally see me duel and I'll make sure I let her see me give you a butt kicking you'll never forget."

Odion shook his head in amusement, clicking his tongue. Secretly, though, he admired the blonde's tenacity. "Is that so, Mr. Wheeler? How very touching. However, nothing will save you now!"

Mai was never one to side with the enemy, but she was beginning to feel Odion might be right. "Too bad. Joey has made some great comebacks, but I think his streak is going to end here on this blimp. He has definitely come a long way since the first time I dueled him." She sighed, feeling a little disappointed for her male companion. "Oh well, he did the best that he could."

"Wait, Mai," pointed out Yami. "Look at Joey's eyes."

Mai looked in Joey's direction to see what the ancient pharaoh was referring to, and she had to admit she noticed something different about the blonde's eyes when he told Odion it was his turn. "You're right. His eyes are filled with a fire and passion I've never seen in him before. It's almost as if he knows he's going to win. But how? I can't think of a move that could save him."

"What matters is what Joey feels in his heart, Mai. His determination to beat Marik is very strong. And so, he believes he's going to win even though the likelihood of his victory is extremely small. He vowed to help me put an end to Marik's scheme and is on the road to becoming a true duelist, and he is staying true to those vows."

'_Hmm. I have to admit I admire Joey for being so determined even under hopeless circumstances.'_ Mai was able to process what the ancient spirit had said, but was still somewhat astounded by the unwavering faith, given the dire circumstances. "Well Marik is definitely bad news, based on what I've seen from him in this duel. I want Joey to stop him, but how is he going to do it?"

"If he trusts himself and in the Heart of the Cards, he'll find a way."

Joey was so tired of waiting that he was on the verge of dozing off from boredom. He had to pinch himself to keep focused. "If you're so confident you'll win this, make your move already!"

Odion smirked. "Rushing to your impending doom, are we? Well, if you insist. I can assure you that you'll regret those words. Stand back as my Mystical Beast swallows your last line of defense!" The large scorpion creature grabbed onto the fisherman monster, inhaling it. Just like the previous times, the monster changed its shape, gaining a fish's tail. "Your monster's power won't be will be absorbed by my Mythical Beast!" The scorpion monster was given 925 more attack points, raising its power to five thousand, eight hundred twenty five.

Joey's jaw dropped open slightly as he was stunned. Not only because of how amazingly strong the creature had become, but also because he was defenseless. Not to mention he felt like he had broken his promise to Mako that he would use his one-time prized monster well, although what had happened wasn't his fault. _'Sorry, Mako. I didn't mean to turn your card into a fish-stick dinner.'_

Although Vicki couldn't see very much because of her shades, she was faintly able to see the now extremely grotesque form of the monster, which was repulsive enough at the beginning. She was so dumbfounded that she clamped down on her tongue, causing her to wince in pain, which fortunately no one noticed. _'Owww…how clumsy of me.'_

"I congratulate you on making it this far, Mr. Wheeler," said Odion. "However, your time has run out. Good luck on your final move. You'll need it."

'_As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. It'll take a miracle for me to take him down at this point, although I'm not sure if even a miracle would be enough to get me out of this mess. Here goes.'_ Joey slowly drew a card from his deck, hoping it would be the ticket to turning the duel around. Much to his dismay, it was another card useless for the situation. "Looks like I have to pass. So make your big move you've been going on about!" He glanced over at Keren to see how she was feeling about the situation, for she had been silent since her peptalk to him before the duel. She seemed to be deep in thought about something, and he didn't want to bother her. _'Don't worry, lady. Something tells me whatever his big scheme is won't work.'_

"This is it," said Tristan grimly. Although he was calm, Joey's impending defeat was like a living nightmare for him, as he couldn't recall the last time he saw the blonde lose any duels, with the exception of the informal one with Kaiba in Duelist Kingdom as well as against Yugi. And he could recall Joey winning against duelists tougher than Odion.

Serenity lowered her head, giving a sad sigh. "Poor Joey." This was the moment she dreaded witnessing, hence why she wanted to leave earlier, but she was determined to stick by her brother till the very end.

"He fought well," stated Mai with a thoughtful expression. "Only Marik fought even better." Although she was trying hard to face reality, deep down she was disappointed, for one of her greatest wishes for the tournament was to face the blonde in a rematch. _'Oh well, there's always Yugi. I want to test my skills against him as well. And there will be other tournaments where I'll get to compete against Joey.'_

Kaiba looked almost disappointed by how things were turning out. _'Looks like I won't get to see Marik's Egyptian God card after all. Then again, I can't say I'm surprised, for Marik doesn't need an Egyptian God card to crush Wheeler.'_

Marik watched as the events unfolded with a small smile on his face. _'After this attack, Yugi's little friend will be finished. You served me well, Odion.' _ He was so ecstatic his plan was going well, it didn't seem to matter that Odion wasn't using the Egyptian God monster.

All of a sudden, Joey began to feel a sense of optimism and reassurance he couldn't explain. It was almost as if he had a premonition a certain event would occur before it actually did happen. "I'm not gonna lose."

"Huh?" Mai and Odion didn't expect to hear that at all. Odion wondered if the blonde had lost his mind to the extent where he couldn't face reality, as his defeat was inevitable. Joey's other friends stared at him in shock, too.

Keren had finished her lengthy prayer and looked up at Joey with a small reserved smile on her face. She had an idea of how Joey had regained his confidence despite how hopeless things looked. She took it to mean her prayers were finally being answered, little by little. _'After all, the gods work in mysterious ways and they would never allow the tragic events that would come to pass if Odion continues on the path to destruction.'_

Joey was oblivious to all the dubious stares and continued, "I really can't explain how I know, but I have a strange feeling I will win this duel. It's sort of like a voice inside my head telling me not to lose hope because everything will be all right. So go ahead and take your best shot at beating me, Marik!"

"Oh I will! And as soon as my beast attacks your life points, it's over!" declared Odion, seemingly unfazed by Joey's previous words. "I hope you're prepared to suffer a humiliating defeat!"

Joey decided it was a fitting time to be frank with his opponent, and let out the angry feelings he had kept balled up inside for the entire day, now that he had found a way to tell him off in a more civil, dignified manner. It was now or never. "Hold it. Before you make your final move to try and win this duel I have something I want to say to you. I'll never forget when you controlled my mind and forced me to hurt my best friend in that crazy duel. You didn't have the courage to face Yugi yourself, so you made me do all your dirty work while you hid like a coward."

Odion's facial expression remained stoic as he retorted, "I'm facing you now, aren't I?"

"Yeah!"

"And look at the score! I'm destroying you in a duel face to face!" pointed out the rare hunter.

Joey had to admit Odion made a strong point. Marik never bothered to confront his foes face to face, so his suspicion that something fishy was going on grew stronger. "Now that you mentioned it, ever since this duel started, I've had a weird feeling about you. I can't put my finger on it, but you don't seem like the same guy who controlled my mind. That Marik is a good- for -nothing scumbag. But despite being a jerk, you've played a fair and honorable duel and gave me a real challenge. Just like how I have a little voice inside my mind telling me I will win this duel, I also have a voice telling me you're not the rotten snake that controlled my mind and forced me to duel Yugi. And I'm sure of it. You're not Marik! I always trust what I feel in my gut and right now it's telling me two things. You're not who you're pretending to be, and you won't win!"

Stunned gasps escaped the lips of everyone watching with the exception of Keren, who merely smiled to herself at how intuitive Joey was. She looked in his direction, clearing her throat to get his attention. Once she saw she had his attention, she said, "I see you are finally beginning to understand what I had said to you."

Joey's eyes met Keren's. Although he appeared nonchalant as if he still didn't trust her, he had a soft expression on his face. "Yes, I definitely understand where you were coming from. Had begun to see what you were talking about since the duel started."

Keren gave the blonde a warm smile. "I am happy to hear that. I am confident you will succeed."

Joey gave a slight nod, as if to reassure the regal looking young woman.

Marik clenched his teeth and growled lowly, both because of the exchange between Keren and Joey and the thought of his identity being revealed sooner than he planned.

Odion glanced over at Keren, and the two exchanged a lengthy stare. Keren figured Odion would despise her for opposing him but what she noticed in his eyes was not anger or hatred at all, but kindness and regret. This allowed the woman to hold onto the hope that Odion would soon see the light, and he still took a liking to her.

"Rubbish!" scoffed Kaiba. "Wheeler must have completely lost it! What does he mean that duelist isn't Marik?"

Yami watched with a purposeful look on his face. _'I agree with Joey. There's something different about the opponent he is facing. Although a powerful adversary, I do not sense a sinister force. But if he is not Marik, who is he?'_

Mai, who was generally lost as Alice and Wonderland when it came to the subject of world domination and the like, picked up on what was going on, since she was there to witness Joey's behavior under Marik's control. "So who's the real snake in the grass?" she demanded to know.

Suddenly a possibility popped into Yami's mind. He glanced back at the real Marik, who was still under the guise of Namu. _'Could it be?'_

Marik's facial expression grew pinched when he realized he was close to being exposed. _'No! If I'm exposed, my plan will be ruined! Besides Yugi's card, I'll also need Kaiba's card, Obelisk the Tormentor, and I need to learn his role in this ancient struggle before my secret identity is known!' _ The cornsilk blonde young man shot a glare at Keren while he was at it. _'Keren, you had better hold your tongue if you know what's good for you. It would not be wise of you to invoke my wrath.'_

"Enough of this!" barked Odion, reaching for the fake millennium rod and pulling it out. "Only the real Marik wields the power of the millennium rod! Think of that before you let those senseless voices delude you into thinking you have a chance at victory! Now my Mystical Beast of Serket, attack Mr. Wheeler's lifepoints and end this duel immediately!" The tattooed faced young man smiled, not only pleased about his impending victory, but also because he would prove to his master that he didn't need such a dangerous card to win against Joey and he would have no regrets.

Joey managed to keep his cool and didn't even flinch as the large mutated scorpion headed for him. He simply closed his eyes. If his instincts were correct, the attack would fail, so he hoped for the best.

Yami grimly watched as the creature slowly approached his friend. "This duel is over."

"This is it, guys," said Mai, her voice sounding as if it were about to crack. She watched with baited breath as she hoped her male companion would be all right, in spite of what was about to happen.

But Marik, who was livid over the recent turn of events, had other plans. _"Wait Odion! Stop your attack!" _

Noting how frantic Marik sounded, Odion called off the attack. The monster froze in its tracks, just inches away from Joey.

Joey opened his eyes when he realized he hadn't felt anything. His eyes widened in shock when he noticed the creature's pinchers were just inches away from touching him. _'What's the deal? He's not attacking.'_ He wondered if this meant his gut feeling was right or something else. After Odion had pointed out he held the millennium rod, his faith had wavered a bit.

The spectators of the duel weren't sure what to make of what just happened either. "Shouldn't Joey be a scorpion snack right about now?" asked Duke, confused.

Odion turned to face his master. _"I held off my attack as you requested, Master Marik. But why did you ask me to?"_

"_I want you to destroy him with the Egyptian God card. Play the Winged Dragon of Ra! It's the only way to convince everyone you are me! I must keep my identity a secret if I am to eliminate the pharaoh once and for all!"_

Odion gulped. This was just the moment he had been dreading. He could see in Marik's eyes that he was still enraged about Joey managing to figure out he was only pretending to be the enemy. A part of him didn't mind as he didn't feel good about deceiving his opponent, not to mention Keren was deeply hurt by his actions as well, and he didn't want to cause any more pain to her than he already had. _"But it's too dangerous, Master. Please don't make me remove Ra from the sacred arc." _ He started to sweat and tremble.

"_Play that Egyptian God card now so that I may rule as pharaoh!" _ Marik insisted impetuously.

Odion was really quacking in his boots as his master's tone left very little room for questioning. And to hell would be with him if he disobeyed. He decided it wouldn't hurt to reason with Marik one last time anyway. Surely he wasn't so consumed with evil that he wouldn't listen to reason in a life and death situation. _"Master Marik, playing the Winged Dragon of Ra is too dangerous. Please reconsider your request." _

Marik's scowl softened a tad when he saw how visibly shaken Odion was by his demands and his servant was actually quite frightened. Still, he felt he had come too far to turn back. _"Listen to me, Odion, ever since I could remember, you longed to be a part of my family. Well, this is your chance to join the tombkeeper's clan by serving me the future pharaoh. Now fulfill your duty, and play that Egyptian God card."_

The robed man nearly forgot about that. It was never pleasant to recall how livid Marik's father was when he had shown his desire to be treated as a true member of the Ishtar family. Marik's offer was one he just couldn't pass up, although he was worried about his and Joey's safety. _'I know the dangers are great, but I must serve my master. Keren, I hope you can forgive me someday.'_ He didn't realize until now how deeply he cared for Keren.

"I don't get it, guys," said Tèa. "Why isn't Marik attacking Joey?"

"I'm not exactly sure," answered Yami in a low voice. "However, I have a bad feeling about this delay." _'He could have easily won with the Mystical Beast of Serket and would not cease the attack unless…'_ He considered the possibility of a change in strategy, which left a bad taste in his mouth, for he had an idea of what it could be.

"Prepare yourself, Mr. Wheeler, for you are about to experience a force more powerful than you've ever face before, nor will you ever face again. I am Marik, and I will now play my Egyptian God card to prove it."

"Wow. I didn't see that coming," muttered Joey. Although it seemed all was lost given how powerful Ra was, Joey was still confident everything would turn out all right even more than before.

"Oh no! Marik _is _going to play the Winged Dragon of Ra." Mai looked really nervous and scared for Joey, for she had heard how immensely powerful the god cards were and he was defenseless. _'I hope he'll be all on Marik for fighting so dirty.' _

Keren buried her face in her hands in despair. _'Oh no…just what I was afraid of. I had hoped Odion would be strong-willed enough to make the right decision but it appears he has succumbed to Marik's pressuring. '_ She still believed her prayers for everything to fall in Joey's favor were answered, but she had a bad feeling about the cost the blonde would emerge victorious. _'Please be careful, Joseph.'_ Suddenly her sadness turned into anger that Odion wasn't strong enough to think for himself and use good judgment. _'He's no longer the man I loved. If something terrible must happen to him in order for him to find his way back, so be it.' _ She had half a mind to leave but decided to stay to support Joey and an inner voice was also reminding her that she couldn't give up hope, no matter how angered she was. She wearily rubbed her temples with her good hand.

"I hope you're prepared for the horror that awaits you, Mr. Wheeler," said Odion with a smirk on his face.

"Quit with the yapping and just bring it on already!" snapped Joey, exasperated.

"Very well." Odion averted his eyes towards the temple. "Ancient one, hear my call! I offer my ancient creature as well as half of my life points to release you! Come forth and reveal your infinite strength in the name of the next great pharaoh, King Marik!" The ancient box moved and emitted a golden aura that glowed very brightly.

Marik gave a small wicked smile. _'Excellent.'_

Kaiba smiled as well, ecstatic that he would finally get to witness the power of the strongest Egyptian God card of the three. _'Soon, it will be mine.'_

Vicki felt chills and shivers going down her spine as a blanket of darkness covered the sky, signifying the arrival of Ra. She raised her shades on top of her head, now that the hideous creature was no longer there. _'This monster's power gives me the creeps but at least it's an improvement over that big old scorpion. '_

"That thing looks unstoppable!" commented Tristan, as he eyed the massive bird shaped dragon.

"It is," confirmed Yami. He got the feeling it was even more dangerous than the other two.

Under ordinary circumstances, Joey would be squirming when staring into the face of defeat, but the inner voice that had been speaking to him had once again told him to keep the faith and things would definitely work out, so he was able to remain calm, even though Odion was relentless with his gloating. _'If what my inner voice was telling me is true, then I have nothing to worry about.'_


End file.
